Junts and the PP have joined forces in the Parliament to stop the Catalan law against speculative housing purchases. Both parties will request an opinion from the Consell de Garanties Estatutàries, a maneuver that paralyzes the processing and postpones the final vote on the norm, initially scheduled for this Wednesday.
The initiative had been agreed upon by the Government of Salvador Illa and the Comuns within the delicate parliamentary balance that sustains the Catalan Executive. Its objective was to limit the purchase of homes in areas of strained residential market, especially when the acquisition was not intended for living in the property or for incorporating it into regulated rental.
The request from Junts and PP does not automatically overturn the law, but it does change the calendar. The Council must rule on its constitutional and statutory fit, and this process makes it practically impossible for the text to reach the last plenary session before the summer break. The final vote is now pointing to October, barring an unexpected turn.
The law comes amidst a full-blown housing emergency in Catalonia, with Barcelona and its metropolitan area as the epicenter of the problem. Rental prices, tourist pressure, the lack of affordable supply, and the accumulation of flats in the hands of large owners have turned housing into one of the great battles of the Catalan legislature.
Junts speaks of property and legal uncertainty
Junts justifies the appeal due to doubts about the right to property, municipal competencies, and freedom of enterprise. Its spokesperson in the Parliament, Salvador Vergés, has also criticized the processing by single reading, a fast track that reduces times and avoids appearances by professional associations and experts.
Carles Puigdemont's party argues that the law leaves too much responsibility in the hands of local councils. Their argument is that different rules could appear between neighboring municipalities, with Barcelona applying the restrictions and Badalona choosing not to. Junts sees legal uncertainty and a new source of municipal conflict there.
The Catalan PP has taken the same position. Lorena Roldán defends that the proposal contains elements that fall outside the Constitution and had already warned that her party was willing to take the norm to the Constitutional Court. The passage through Garanties now functions as the first stop of that offensive.
The movement has an evident political reading. Junts and PP maintain very harsh clashes on the state board, but in housing they once again find themselves in a position of defending the market against intervention measures. In Catalonia, this coincidence directly hits one of the most visible pacts between Illa and the Comuns.
The measure that Comuns extracted from Illa
The proposition was born as a demand from the Comuns to facilitate the budget agreement with the Govern. Jéssica Albiach made the limitation of speculative buying one of her great conditions to support Illa, with the idea of approving it before the summer and sending a clear political signal on housing.
The text had been toned down during the negotiation. The final formula allowed buying housing in stressed areas for habitual residence, to transfer it to a family member, or to put it up for rent at a regulated price. It also contemplated exceptions for purchases of complete buildings intended for residential rental under conditions.
The Govern had worked on legal reports to defend the viability of the measure. The underlying thesis is that the right to property admits limits when there is an accredited social purpose, especially in a context of housing emergency. Housing, moreover, is protected in article 47 of the Constitution as a right and as a mandate to public authorities to prevent speculation.
There lies the real clash. Junts and PP focus on private property, legal certainty, and supply. PSC and Comuns argue that the market has not solved the problem and that administrations can condition certain uses when the purchase of flats serves to accumulate assets, raise prices, or expel residents.
The Govern accuses Junts and PP of creating obstacles
The spokesperson for the Govern, Sílvia Paneque, has reacted with institutional caution. She has acknowledged that resorting to the Consell de Garanties is a legitimate mechanism for parliamentary groups, although she has asked Junts and PP to focus their efforts on making housing a “country mission”.
Paneque has regretted that both parties choose to “put spokes in the wheels” instead of submitting proposals to the Parliament. The Catalan Executive wants to keep the text alive and prevent the delay from cooling down one of the measures that the Comuns present as proof of utility within the investiture majority.
The Comuns have been tougher. David Cid has accused Junts of acting in the service of the real estate employers' association and of wanting a few hands to continue accumulating flats to do business. He has also placed the PP and Vox in the same bloc opposed to any strong regulation of the housing market.
The law will be debated in a single reading, but its final approval is postponed due to the appeal to the Consell de Garanties. Junts and PP have gained time. Illa and the Comuns lose the political blow of approving it before the summer.
Add ElConstitucional.es as a preferred Google source for free.
Stay informed about all the latest breaking news with the best information. Against disinformation, for democracy and social rights.
