Spain's Government approved two housing decrees after an agreement between PSOE and Sumar. Vicente Vallés says the measures came too late, and their future still depends on Congress.
On Tuesday 29 September, the Spanish Government approved two royal decrees after PSOE and Sumar reached an agreement. Their passage through Congress is still uncertain. Vicente Vallés has questioned why the package arrived so late in the legislature.
One decree has already appeared in the Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE). That does not settle the issue. Congress must still validate it. Reuters and France 24 reported that the Government wanted a vote as early as Friday, 2 October.
Maricarmen Abascal is 87 years old and had lived in the Madrid apartment for more than 70 years. Earlier attempts to evict her had been blocked by the courts, according to NBC News and El País.
The Government wants the vote this Friday. The parliamentary process was already under scrutiny on 30 September. Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez faced questions from deputies about the decrees and her management of the housing portfolio.
The clock is running.
Pedro Sánchez has asked his parliamentary partners to support the next step. He has presented the package as a way to increase the supply of affordable homes and help people find stable housing. Reuters quoted Sánchez as saying that protecting vulnerable tenants was "not a question of ideology, but of humanity."
The measures would ban evictions until 2030 and limit rent increases. They would also restrict speculative purchases by so-called vulture funds. New rules would cover seasonal rentals and room rentals. DW reported that the package also includes tighter rules for short-term rentals and a two-year extension of existing rental contracts.
The Government says the measures should increase the supply of affordable homes.
Euronews reported that, after a change of ownership in Madrid, Maricarmen’s monthly rent was proposed to rise from about €500 to €2,650 and later to €1,650. The figures became an illustration of the pressure created by the shortage of affordable housing.
The political pressure comes from the need to secure enough votes. Sánchez has urged his allies to support the package. Moncloa hopes to rebuild the majority that backed his investiture.
Vallés described the process as a rushed attempt to secure congressional approval. He did not present it as the result of a settled housing policy.
The immediate trigger was the eviction of Maricarmen in Madrid. Her case drew fresh attention to the problems faced by people looking for a home and to Spain's housing shortage. Reuters, France 24 and Euronews reported that the eviction of the 87-year-old became a symbol of the crisis and helped fuel mass protests.
The dispute was covered in an earlier report about the agreement that could allow her to return home. On 28 September, El País and Reuters reported that an agreement with the management company or landlord allowed her to return under a new contract.
Her case changed the debate.
Vallés has focused on timing as well as the contents of the package. On 'Antena 3 Noticias 2', he said the decrees still had to pass through Congress. He argued that the Government was rushing after eight years of promises without results.
His final assessment was restrained but clear. The vote will show whether Moncloa can rebuild its investiture majority.
The Government has approved the decrees. It has not secured final parliamentary backing. That difference matters to tenants, landlords and people searching for affordable housing because the proposed protections still depend on congressional validation.
The package contains a wide range of measures, but its political test is immediate. Vallés has put the deadline and the Government's previous record at the centre of the story. Announcing housing rules at the end of the legislature is not the same as delivering a lasting solution.
