The youth wing of Germany's Free Democratic Party (FDP) in the southwest has sparked controversy with a proposal for Germany to purchase the island of Majorca from Spain. The FDP lost all its seats in the Bundestag earlier this year.
In an Instagram post on August 12, the Junge Liberale group described the acquisition as a strategic investment. 'Millions of Germans travel there every year – why shouldn’t the enormous tourism revenues directly benefit our national budget?' they argued, noting that over five million German tourists visited Majorca in 2024.
The group claimed the purchase would strengthen Germany's economic position, create opportunities in trade, energy, and logistics, and provide more geopolitical freedom. They also said it would offer legal certainty for Germans living on the island and reduce bureaucracy.
This is not the first such proposal: 30 years ago, conservative CSU politician Dionys Jobst made a similar suggestion, which was widely dismissed as a joke. The idea gained international media attention, boosting Majorca's tourism profile.
The proposal comes amid concerns over declining German tourist numbers in Majorca, with May and June seeing drops. Spain's tourism institute Turespaña noted that German demand may have reached its price limit after two years of accepting significant price increases.
