The Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, Félix Bolaños, has urged Catalan deputies in Congress this afternoon to support the two housing decrees and listen to the "social outcry". From Barcelona, he has asked them to "stand with the people and not with soulless speculators" ahead of the vote next Friday, October 2.
Bolaños spoke at the closing of the first day of the 'BCN! Desperta' forum. His call comes with the Government seeking the necessary support to maintain the measures approved on Tuesday and with Junts and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) among the groups to whom this request is addressed.
The Catalan parties have shown different positions during the day. The president of ERC, Oriol Junqueras, has announced that his party will support both decrees, although he considers them insufficient. However, the republican spokesperson in Congress, Gabriel Rufián, has avoided confirming their support and has warned that they will review the texts "down to the last comma" before deciding.
Junts keeps the unknown open. Its parliamentary spokesperson, Míriam Nogueras, has declared herself "disappointed and concerned" by the content of the decrees, without anticipating the direction of the vote. The rejection announced by the PP and the far-right Vox increases the importance of gathering support among parliamentary partners, both for anti-eviction measures and for rental stability.
Protection for tenants and small landlords
Bolaños has defended public intervention in a market that, he pointed out, prevents even the middle class from accessing owned or rented housing. He questioned the liberal model because it "leads to a market that expels millions of Spaniards from the right to housing" and explained that the Executive has been working on these measures since before the summer.
The minister highlighted the two-year extensions in rental contracts, anti-eviction measures, and tax bonuses. He also claimed a "powerful" package of benefits for small landlords, with which the Government intends to protect those who rent their homes and assist the families living in them. "We have sought balance," he stated.
The decrees also include restrictions on speculative purchases and a regulation of seasonal and room rentals to prevent them from being used to circumvent the guarantees of regular rental. Friday's vote will allow Congress to decide whether to keep the rules in force by validating them.
Bolaños has cited Catalonia as an example of the application of the housing law and has reproached the communities governed by the PP and Vox for not deploying their mechanisms to contain rents. According to him, in those territories prices continue to rise "uncontrollably".
The minister has acknowledged that the decreases registered in Barcelona may be insufficient, but he has defended the effects of rent control. During his speech, he cited a 4.5% decrease in the first two years of application and a 1.3% reduction in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year.
