President Armengol told the Balearic parliament yesterday that illegal street selling represents a "huge problem" for small retailers and that it is of concern to the government.
Armengol explained that illegal selling involves "complicated humanitarian matters" to do with criminal gangs and exploitation as well as those to do with product counterfeiting. She added that government powers are limited as they mainly lie with town halls and their bylaws as well as with the national government delegation in the Balearics.
On this, she observed that the attitude of the new government delegate, Rosario Sánchez (a PSOE appointee), is "totally different" to that of her predecessor, Maria Salom of the Partido Popular. There are shortly to be meetings to discuss the illegal selling problem, the president noted.
Armengol was questioned by the leader of El Pi, Jaume Font, who stressed his party's defence of small business and observed that in the past six weeks there were 10,000 more confiscated items than in the first six months of last year.
He said that areas such as the Born avenue and Plaça Cort are "full of illegal sellers" and urged the new government delegate to solve the problem and to prosecute illegal selling.