Zoë Dahse
PALMA Police have enacted the city´s new ordinance which places fines of up to 750 euros on people who buy products from illegal street sellers.
The new ordinance came into force on May 26, and updates existing regulations from 2018.
Sellers are also subject to fines of between 750 and 1500 euros, and for buyers it can range from 100 to 750 euros.
READ MORE: Tourist warning: Person gets fined for buying sunglasses from illegal street seller in Mallorca
The announcement from the City of Palma, published on social media channels, said that ´anyone buying items such as sunglasses, jewelry, counterfeit clothing, drinks, or other goods from illegal street vendors will face a fine of up to €750.´
The ayuntamiento has also launched an information campaign to warn residents and tourists of the risks that unauthorised vendors pose, arguing that licensed vendors are harmed by this type of trade.
Criticism of the new regulation has pointed to an imbalance of how fines are imposed, as residents and tourists may be more likely to pay the fine. Illegal sellers may also have no known address to which they can be sent the fine notice.
Whilst running for mayoral candidacy back in 2023, current mayor Jaime Martinez and his party Partido Popular mandated that he would give priority to the security of the Playa de Palma and tackle illegal street selling with ´total impunity´.
The statement confirmed that the new regulation ´applies throughout the entire municipal area, including the city center and tourist zones like Playa de Palma, Arenal, and Sant Miquel pedestrian areas.´ The police´s Litoral district covers the area by the sea from Can Pere Antoni to S´Arenal.
Other issues tackled in the ordinance include the use of electric scooters, graffiti, prostitution, nudism, and balconing. The civic ordinance lists an extensive number of criminal offenses that tourists and residences should now be weary of.
In the past, the Balearic ministry for social affairs has established a training programme called ´T´acompanyo´, to give training and assistance to illegal street vendors.
READ MORE: British president of Mallorca cancer charity awarded BEM in King’s Birthday Honours
Click here to read more Balearic Islands News from The Olive Press.
