Royal Christmas Address: Can We Expect Answers to Mallorca's Housing Problem?

Royal Christmas Address: Can We Expect Answers to Mallorca's Housing Problem?

Guiding question: Can a twelfth address since 2014 provide real momentum for people in Mallorca?

On Christmas Eve at 9:00 PM Spain switches on the television — including here in Mallorca. King Felipe will then deliver his traditional Christmas address, which is being broadcast for the twelfth time since his accession to the throne. The announcement lists topics such as the housing crisis and international conflicts. That is the factual situation. What of that reaches Palma, Pollença or Colònia de Sant Jordi is another question.

Anyone walking through Palma shortly before the address does not hear grand words, but the usual sounds: delivery vans bringing the last supplies for restaurants, a pub owner rolling in the awning, and young people who joke — or rather: complain bitterly — about the Payday 2026: Why Many Renters in Mallorca Have Reason to Be Afraid. On the Plaça Major remaining Christmas stalls stand, lanterns cast warm light on wet streets. This is everyday life, which national speeches do not automatically make easier.

Critical analysis: the speech has symbolic power but limited political effect. A head of state can set topics and address moral guidelines. It is in the nature of such speeches to swing between consolation, admonition and orientation. Concrete political measures — for example new rules on rentals, municipal social housing programmes or targeted tax incentives — must, however, be designed and implemented at regional and local levels. Here the greatest gap between words and impact often opens up.

What is missing in the public debate: rarely are the perspectives heard of those who suffer most from housing shortages in Mallorca: seasonal workers, single parents with low incomes, young families and craftsmen. There is a lack of clear figures for each municipality — not just nationwide indicators such as Spain's National Statistics Institute (INE) housing data — and a lack of an open debate about ownership structures: how many apartments stand empty because owners use them as investments? What role do short-term holiday rentals play? Without this data the discussion remains abstract.

Concrete approaches that could work locally: municipalities should designate binding development areas for social housing and exercise stricter control over allocation of municipal building land. Long-term incentives for owners to rent permanently — for example through tax benefits tied to social rental contracts — could relieve pressure on the market. A more effective register for holiday rentals with electronic reporting would make illegal short-term rentals more visible. Cooperative housing projects, in which cooperatives take over building plots, have worked in other regions and would be an option for municipalities like Manacor or Inca (see More social housing from 2026: What the Balearic Islands are really planning).

Practical and immediate: increasing mobility between place of residence and workplace reduces the necessity to live in town centres. Therefore investments in bus connections and safe cycle paths belong to the measures that can reduce pressure on central rental markets. Transparency obligations for large property portfolios — for example reporting obligations when a single owner holds more than a certain number of units — create grounds for discussion instead of speculation.

What the address can do — and what it cannot: a speech can create solidarity and raise awareness of issues. But it cannot pass laws or replace administrative bodies. For Mallorca this means: if the King mentions the housing crisis, that creates attention. The real work begins in town halls, in the Balearic government and in neighbourhood associations.

A closing image of Mallorca: late taxis still drive along the Paseo Marítimo, lights blink in apartments, suitcases are already packed — and on many doors the question is stuck: Where will I live next year? This image remains, no matter how well worded the speech is in the evening.

Conclusion: the guiding question remains justified: speeches are important, solutions must be made locally. Those who want to see concrete steps after the address should shift their gaze from the national stage to the benches of town halls and municipal council chambers. That is where the rules that really change our everyday life in Mallorca are decided.