The Spanish National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) has filed an appeal before the contentious-administrative courts against several articles of Decree 6/2026, which regulates taxi and VTC services in the Balearic Islands. This legal action follows a prior formal request by the antitrust authority to the Balearic Government to modify the controversial regulations, which was ultimately rejected.
While the CNMC does not dispute the decree in its entirety, it objects to specific operational and market-entry restrictions that it deems unnecessary, disproportionate, and discriminatory. The regulator warns that these barriers stifle healthy competition and directly harm consumer welfare. Among the most contentious clauses is the requirement that vehicles for new licenses must be less than two years old, a measure the CNMC argues limits market entry without genuinely improving service quality.
The decree also mandates a minimum vehicle length of 4.35 meters. Although it offers concessions for eco-friendly vehicles, the rigid size requirement unnecessarily restricts the deployment of compact, non-polluting models that could otherwise optimize public space and ease urban traffic. Furthermore, the regulation caps new VTC license applications at three per holder. This artificial ceiling prevents ride-hailing operators from achieving economies of scale, which could otherwise translate into more competitive pricing for passengers.
Other provisions heavily restrict operational flexibility. The ban on individual seat bookings eliminates cost-effective and environmentally friendly ride-sharing alternatives. Meanwhile, the obligation to publish VTC fares online is deemed an administrative burden, given that upfront pricing is already transparently accessible through mobile apps. Finally, the CNMC warns that capping dynamic pricing during peak demand periods will reduce vehicle availability, ultimately driving up wait times for users. Legally empowered to defend market competition, the CNMC is pursuing this judicial challenge to preserve consumer choice and foster a balanced transport ecosystem.