Match by match. The coalition government’s philosophy is that law by law and despite the noise, 166 legislative changes have been made in the legislature to date. And that is the spirit he is trying to preserve, after the 2023 budget saw the light inside the executive, with the housing law becoming a major headache for the PSOE and United We Can. In this case, the socialist wing has refused to make the norm a bargaining chip in internal public accounts negotiations, as it has already done in two previous budgets, but knows it is a demand from the rest of parliament. Allies on the left and that is why he renewed contacts with ERC and EH Bildu to try to pave the way. However, all parties acknowledge that there has been no progress on what has become a major obstacle: capping rental prices.
24 hours after the Council of Ministers gave the green light to the budgets, Urban Agenda and Housing Secretary General David Lucas met with ERC and EH Bildu MPs Pilar Vallugera and Oskar Matute respectively. Positions regarding housing law. The Coalition’s parliamentary allies have been left with a sour taste by the Socialists’ refusal to impose maximum rent prices on all owners in stressed areas, which is also a demand from United We Can.
The representatives of Pedro Sánchez reject this idea because they argue that small owners should be protected and consider the proposal that the law was adopted last year after difficult negotiations as reasonable and it happens only to large owners (those who have more than ten properties. ) are obliged set the maximum price. Sources in the ministry claim that there is a system of tax incentives for small owners, which they believe will lead to a de facto fall in prices, except that new contracts in stressed areas are indicated and can only be increased by 10. % compared to the previous one.
In any case, socialists believe that there is room for negotiation. “Intermediate points can be found,” said state government sources, who see opportunities between the maximum positions currently held by the parties. The socialist wing of the government declares itself “optimistic” regarding the negotiations and claims that it “has the will to dialogue and agreement”. As proof, it refers to about 400 changes that have already been made to more than 800 registered groups.
They also explain that they have given up on issues such as evictions, with a proposal in the middle between the ban (an exception after the pandemic) and the previous situation: that the autonomous community, which is a competent administration, must be informed in order to look. For housing alternatives, housing funds are used. “So it is not banned, but there is more guarantee that no one is left on the street.” A double guarantee system to increase protection”, they explain in the ministry headed by Raquel Sanchez.
Given that there are fears among coalition allies that the government is going to sidestep the approval of the housing law by extending temporary measures such as an eviction ban or a 2% rent increase cap by decree. In the socialist wing of the executive government, they claim that their claim is that the norm should come into effect on January 1. “We can extend these measures beyond December 31 if necessary, but structural measures are needed,” the consultants said.
Faced with the optimism of the majority coalition partner, his allies see Norma as completely blocked, and some of them are trying to tie the funds to the approval of the budget, which is crucial for Sánchez to finish his mandate at the end of next year. “They are off to a bad start,” ERC spokesman Gabriel Ruffian said after learning that the coalition agreement did not include new housing developments. “The negotiation is starting now,” he told Finance Minister María Jesus Montero about talks with the rest of the parties promoting governance.
Sources present at the meeting in Congress this Wednesday claim that the ERC and EH Bildu are in agreement, indicating that the current text of the law is “very far” from agreement, among other things, because most of the initiatives presented were rejected. “We have introduced 84 amendments, many of which respond to the demands of tenant unions and platforms. They made 26 transactions for us, and the rest have been canceled,” EH Bildu sources explain.
The executive’s parliamentary allies prioritize mandatory social rent, preventing evictions without alternative housing, and capping all rents, not just large landlords. From EH Bildu, they highlight that 95% of rental homes in the Basque Country are owned by small landlords. “If there is no action, what is the law for?” they ask. Although no progress was made at the meeting, all parties agreed to continue negotiations. However, most of the government’s partners are particularly pessimistic about the law’s future, arguing, as United We Can also confirms, that the move by the PSOE in Congress to allow express evictions from occupied homes goes “in the opposite direction”. possible understanding.
Source: El Diario
