Spain approves 21 urgent measures against housing crisis

Spain’s government on Tuesday approved a package of 21 urgent measures to tackle the housing crisis that has mobilized thousands of protesters across the country. The decision comes after protests that ended in violence in Barcelona and demonstrations in several cities over the weekend.

The measures were announced by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who called early elections for November 29 after suffering a legislative defeat last week. The coalition government lacked a majority in parliament and saw right-wing opposition parties overturn emergency decrees aimed at tackling the crisis.

Protests and the Maricarmen case

The protests were motivated by the expulsion of the elderly María del Carmen Abascal, 87, from her home in Madrid last month. Known as Maricarmen, it has become a symbol of the struggle for dignified housing. “We will not allow more evictions like what Maricarmen suffered or like those that have occurred since the decrees were repealed,” Sánchez told reporters at the presidential palace.

In Barcelona, Spain's second-largest city, a bad weather warning over the weekend forced organizers to postpone the protest to Monday. What began as a major peaceful demonstration ended in violence when groups of hundreds of activists clashed with police, throwing stones and burning garbage containers.

What includes the package of measures

The 21 measures approved include facilitating the rental or purchase of a new home, expanding protection against evictions of vulnerable residents, regulating room rental, creating a new tax on seasonal rents, prohibiting speculative purchases of real estate and granting tax benefits to landlords and tenants who pay on time.

The government will also create a €10 billion fund to offer loans of up to €50,000 for the purchase of the first property, in addition to construction subsidies, the prime minister said. The measures are similar to those rejected by Parliament last week.

Ratification in provisional legislature

The measures will need to be ratified by a provisional legislature instead of the Parliament, which was dissolved after early elections were called. The body is made up of 69 members, instead of the 350 of the regular Parliament. Sánchez’s coalition will need only 35 votes to pass the measures.

The prime minister also asked for the votes of the opposition, stating: "We are not talking about an ideological issue, but about common sense." He added: “Many Spaniards are waiting for solutions, not just those who gather in the squares, nor the thousands of demonstrators on the streets. I am referring to millions of citizens who expect their representatives to have the courage to face the powerful rather than submit to them.”

Context of the crisis and political reaction

Rising costs and housing shortages are pulling many Spaniards out of the housing market, despite the strong economic growth of Europe’s fourth-largest economy. Protesters have demanded greater protection for tenants, measures to combat fraud and a ban on evictions when no alternative housing is available.

Alejandro Quiroga, a professor of political science at the Complutense University of Madrid, told the Associated Press that the approval of the decrees by the provisional legislature was constitutional, but also a necessary political measure of Sánchez. The source did not detail the next steps for the implementation of the measures.

The package now awaits ratification and can bring immediate relief to families at risk of eviction, but the political landscape remains uncertain as early elections approach. The housing crisis remains at the heart of the Spanish public debate.

Read Also

U.S. urges Americans to leave Russia on suspicion of plague

Woman hides husband's body in freezer for benefits

Motorcyclist dies after hitting a roundabout on BR-376 in Apucarana

Font

g1.globo.com