The Minister of Culture and spokesperson for Sumar, Ernest Urtasun, has assured that the Government will give the green light this Tuesday in the Council of Ministers to the two decrees on housing that were rejected last Friday in Congress, incorporating some "variations." After the dissolution of the Cortes due to the early elections, these regulations must be validated in the Permanent Deputation, where PP, Vox, and Junts do not have a majority.
The Plenary of Congress rejected on Friday both the decree of measures in housing matters and the one that contemplated the automatic renewal of rental contracts. The first fell due to the votes against from PP, Vox, and Junts, while the second was also defeated, in addition to those groups, by PNV and Coalición Canaria.
The parliamentary defeat of these decrees led the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, to bring forward the general elections to November 29, which entails the dissolution of the Cortes and requires that the decrees now be submitted to the criteria of the Permanent Deputation.
This body is made up of 69 deputies from various parties. Within that composition, the bloc that supported the housing measures decree totals 35 seats, distributed among PSOE, Sumar, Esquerra Republicana (ERC), Bildu, PNV, and Podemos, against the 34 representatives of PP, Vox, and Junts.
However, the second decree, focused on the automatic renewal of rental contracts, would also not receive sufficient support in the Permanent Deputation, as PNV also rejected it. If that correlation of forces were to be repeated, the text would receive 34 votes in favor and 35 against.
The new decrees maintain the level of protection
In a press conference, Urtasun explained that the Council of Ministers will approve the decrees again that did not reach sufficient majority, introducing "some variations," since they cannot be "presented exactly the same as they were last time."
The minister emphasized that "in no case" will those changes imply a reduction of the protection measures already included. "No one should expect that from here to tomorrow we are going to enter into a game of cuts and haggling over the protection measures that were already in place," he pointed out.
According to what has progressed, one of the decrees will incorporate the prohibition of evictions until 2030, the extension of rental contracts until 2028, the regulation of tourist and seasonal rentals, and the impossibility of purchasing housing by 'vulture' funds.
Without new negotiation with Junts
Asked whether the new text will disregard the demands of Junts, Urtasun indicated that, in principle, "the core" of the proposal regarding tax incentives remains, although with some "specific adjustment."
He also made it clear that the Executive does not plan to open a new round of conversations with the Catalan independence supporters to introduce more concessions in exchange for their support. "That is not going to happen," he emphasized.
Regarding the content of the other decree, the minister did not go into details, but confirmed that it will also be approved. It is the text that included the automatic renewal of rental contracts and established the obligation of the owner to compensate the tenant in case of terminating the contract early.