United we can consider “must” in the anti-crisis decree, which will come out of the Council of Ministers tomorrow, the freezing of rental prices after the renewal of contracts. Confederate sources told this newspaper that talks with the PSOE are currently deadlocked at this stage, although they believe they can reach an agreement before Tuesday’s meeting.
At tomorrow’s meeting of ministers, the government plans to approve the so-called The anti-crisis shield expired on December 31, and which until now allows, among other things, to reduce the price of the transport pass, VAT on electricity. or to increase unpaid pensions. The package was negotiated in June and included an estimated cost of 9,000 million euros, on top of 6,000 million in the first plan approved in March to respond to the economic fallout from the war in Ukraine, which was ending at the time. It is spreading.
Negotiations on the third renewal of these measures began a few weeks ago. In early December, Yolanda Díaz convened a “negotiation commission” with the government’s majority partner to include a number of measures in the royal decree, which is now being negotiated. After that, the second vice-president of the government asked for work to alleviate the effects of inflation in the shopping basket and to freeze mortgages. He also proposed to continue measures to protect rent increases.
At the time, EH Bildu reached a budget deal with the executive that planned to extend the 2% cap on rent revaluations, which before the first anti-crisis decrees were linked to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Díaz raised demands on the issue and asked the Socialist Party to include in the decree the rental price freeze, which was agreed upon during the pandemic, in the renewal of the signed contracts from now on.
Nearly a month after the opening of the negotiating commission and less than a day after the council of ministers from which the ordinance will take place, talks are currently deadlocked, according to United We Can sources. Podemos organization secretary Lilith Verstring said in a statement to the media on Monday that the talks are “difficult”.
“We believe that it is very important to expand the social shield. This is not an easy negotiation. We are proposing some essential measures to help families have a better economy: freeze rent and freeze variable-rate mortgages, reduce transport passes by up to 50% or create a check for €300 to pay for a shopping basket and food,” said the secretary. for the state’s 2030 Agenda, which insisted that “it is a priority to continue these measures”.
Although he confirmed that the two coalition partners are negotiating “the whole package”, these four measures are “essential” for them, and especially, according to formation sources, the rent freeze to avoid disproportionate increases.
According to them, the problem arises when the rental contract expires and both parties want to renew it, because the owner can demand a new price from the tenant and, according to the warning of the confederation, there has been an increase in prices in recent months. 20 or 30%. The tenant then finds themselves in a position to accept that increase or look for another option in an increasingly tight market.
The Ministry of Transport, which depends on the regulation of leases, has limited clarification to defend that the government has already promised to extend the 2% cap on annual lease revaluations and will have to wait until the end. This Tuesday’s meeting will reveal what additional measures will be included.
Source: El Diario
