The Formentera Council has approved the recognition of €3.17 million in spending for services provided to minors under its protection during 2026, as the island continues to face growing pressure from arrivals of unaccompanied migrant minors.

The extraordinary and urgent plenary session on Wednesday, September 9, approved a total of €3,173,119.71 covering care, residential accommodation and protection services that have already been provided. The measure was approved with the votes of the governing Sa Unió coalition, while the other political groups abstained.

The Council says the increase in the number of minors under its responsibility has pushed both its care capacity and its original financial forecasts beyond what had been anticipated for the year.

Financial Forecasts Already Exceeded in the First Half of 2026

According to the report accompanying the Council's decision, the number of minors under institutional protection has increased compared with 2025.

That rise has resulted in the available budget being exceeded during the first half of this year, forcing the island administration to recognise additional spending for services that it had nevertheless been required to guarantee.

The €3.17 million does not represent a newly announced programme for future spending alone. It covers services already provided during 2026 by the organisations responsible for care, residential accommodation and protection.

Formentera's second vice-president and councillor for Economy, Territory and Infrastructure, Javier Serra, said the Council currently has €3,173,119.71 outstanding to foundations and associations delivering these services.

He described the financial pressure on the island administration as significant.

Around 250 Minors Currently Under Council Protection

The pressure on Formentera's services has continued to increase in recent days.

The Council said that approximately 250 minors are currently under its protection. At periods of particularly high pressure, that figure has reached 305.

The administration also reported that a further 12 minors had arrived in Formentera in the hours immediately before Wednesday's plenary session.

Those new arrivals become the responsibility of the island's child-protection system, adding further demand for accommodation, social care and other support services.

The continued arrivals mean that the financial pressure is not limited to settling existing invoices. The Council is also facing uncertainty over the resources that will be required for the remainder of the year.

€10 Million in Additional Support From the Balearic Government

Formentera is receiving financial assistance from the Balearic Government to help address the exceptional increase in needs.

The island Council said it has received a direct subsidy of €10 million from the Govern balear, allowing it to generate the necessary budget credit and begin paying for services already delivered by foundations and other organisations.

The additional funding comes amid a broader dispute over how responsibility and financing for the reception and protection of unaccompanied migrant minors should be managed.

Earlier this month, Formentera confirmed that it had been unable to return responsibility for the guardianship of minors to the Balearic Government because of legal limitations under the Statute of Autonomy.

The Council said at the time that the immediate priority was to ensure the island had sufficient resources to maintain the service, while continuing to seek longer-term institutional and legal solutions.

Formentera Says the Situation Is Putting Pressure on Local Resources

The island administration has repeatedly warned that the scale of arrivals is creating an exceptional burden for a small territory.

Formentera's President, Óscar Portas, said during the plenary session that the issue should be addressed beyond the immediate response required from local administrations.

He also pointed to the humanitarian dimension of the migration situation, referring to the recent discovery of bodies in waters around Formentera. According to the Council, 16 people have been found dead in waters around the island so far in 2026.

The Council has argued that the migration situation has an origin and a scale that extend beyond Formentera itself, and that the island needs sufficient resources to cope with the consequences.

A Rapidly Changing Situation

The latest budget decision comes against a backdrop of continued irregular maritime arrivals in the Balearic Islands.

Formentera has experienced repeated arrivals of migrant boats during the 2026 season, placing additional demands on local authorities, emergency services and child-protection systems.

The number of minors arriving is particularly significant because children who are determined to be unaccompanied fall under the protection of the competent public authorities, requiring accommodation and specialised care.

That responsibility creates a direct financial impact for the island administration, particularly when the number of children rises beyond the levels anticipated when annual budgets are prepared.

Recognition of Spending Does Not End the Funding Challenge

The approval of €3.17 million allows the Council to formally recognise the cost of services already provided and provides the administrative basis for paying outstanding amounts.

However, the measure does not resolve the underlying issue of continued arrivals.

With around 250 minors currently under protection and 12 additional arrivals reported in the latest hours, the number of people requiring accommodation and support could continue to change rapidly.

The Balearic Government's €10 million contribution is intended to provide additional financial capacity, but Formentera continues to call for broader solutions to a situation it considers exceptional.

Migration Pressure Remains a Major Issue for Formentera

Formentera's latest budget decision illustrates how the increase in migrant arrivals is affecting not only reception infrastructure but also the island's public finances.

The €3.17 million recognised this week relates specifically to care, residential accommodation and protection services for minors under the Council's responsibility during 2026.

As arrivals continue, the central question for the island will be how much additional capacity and funding will be required before the end of the year, and how responsibility for those costs should be shared between the island, the Balearic Government and the Spanish state.

For now, Formentera's child-protection system remains under sustained pressure, with the Council relying on additional regional funding while continuing to seek longer-term solutions to the growing demands placed on the island.