May the 25th will be an important date regarding the future of yacht moorings in the Balearic Islands.
The results of the elections for the local autonomous government will play an important role in the development of the yachting industry of the islands.
At present, the coalition government, led by the socialists, are adamant that the moratorium on the expansion of marinas remains in place.
Only very recently ANADE, the association of marinas called for a change of attitude by the government to enable them to add 10,000 moorings.
The communication from the association’s president, Bartolome Bestard of Alcudiamar, was rejected out of hand by the current Balearic Environment Minister, Margalida Rossello stating bluntly, "There will be no increase in moorings".
On the other hand in a recent interview with a local newspaper, Rosa Estaras, number two in the local Party Popular (conservatives) said, "Lift the moratorium? Where possible, yes, when we have studied each case after analysing the real possibilities of each marina’s infrastructure".
Pressure is being applied from many lobbyists, the Chamber of Commerce adding their weight recently.
In a press conference late in April the chamber’s president, Joan Gual called for more space for the repair and refit for larger yachts (+30m) which his organisation fears will be lost to ports like Barcelona and Cartagena.
They have calculated that ´nautical tourism´ brings in 350 million Euros with an additional 451 million Euros being generated by the nautical sector service and supply companies.