The President of the Congress, the socialist Francina Armengol, has called for a new session of the Standing Committee (Diputación Permanente) for 18 November next at 9:00 a.m., the only body of the Chamber that remains in operation after the dissolution of the Cortes, in order to put to a vote up to seven decree-laws approved by the Government in the past few weeks.
These decree-laws, reserved by law for duly accredited urgent situations, enter into force at the moment of their publication in the Official State Gazette (BOE), but must be submitted to the Congress verdict within a maximum period of 30 days to decide whether they are ratified or repealed.
Having dissolved the Chamber due to the electoral call, this oversight function falls to the Standing Committee, the body that assumes the powers of the Plenary and where the Executive and its allies can push the decree-laws through without depending on Junts. This body is made up of 69 members and PSOE, Sumar, ERC, Bildu, and Podemos, which acts on behalf of the Mixed Group, add up to 34 votes; against the 34 gathered by PP, Vox and Junts, so the support of PNV is key to reaching the majority of 35.
On this same Thursday, two decrees related to housing policies were put to a vote: one was ratified thanks to the support of the PNV, while the other was repealed after the Basque nationalists joined the bloc formed by PP, Vox and Junts.
Aid for Ceuta and response to the DANA Adam
According to the agenda of the Standing Committee, reported by Europa Press, next week up to seven decree-laws will be discussed, starting with the one that includes urgent measures to provide financial support to Ceuta after the mass entry of immigrants at the end of July, which provides for direct subsidies totaling 45.32 million euros to cover actions linked to that crisis.
The decree on the response to the damage caused by floods and other episodes recorded between 17 and 19 October 2026 as a result of the DANA Adam will also be put to ratification. It includes measures in the agricultural sphere, the repair of hydraulic infrastructure and the maritime-terrestrial area, as well as specific support for commerce, tourism, and hospitality.
Railway tragedy in Urda and reinforcement of safety
On the agenda are also the two emergency decrees approved by the Council of Ministers following the Urda (Toledo) rail disaster: one focused on aid to victims and another with urgent measures to reinforce operational safety in rail transport and the social protection of workers in the sector.
The first includes aid for death and for injuries ranging from 2,404 to 84,141 euros, and also introduces consumer protection measures, such as limiting "the abusive prices that arise in emergency situations on the part of some transport operators".
The second modifies the regulation on the maximum train driving times, the age-reduction coefficients for certain rail categories, and the supervisory framework of the State Agency for Railway Safety, "as the former Minister of Transport Óscar Puente explained at the Permanent Delegation last week".
The social decrees of the pre-election campaign
In addition, three of the social decrees that the coalition Government has been approving in the weeks prior to the start of the election campaign for the November 29 elections will be debated.
One of them expands the protective action of the Social Security system and incorporates "menopausal disorder and injuries arising from gender-based violence as cases of temporary incapacity". It also introduces changes to benefits for caring for minor children with serious illnesses, to the eligibility requirements for survivor's pension payments for de facto couples with children in common, and to orphan's pensions in cases of violence against women.
Another decree brings together measures for the recognition and protection of single-parent families, creating a special category for certain cases, such as families with two or more children, with a single child and low incomes, or with a child with a disability. It also expands the scope of advances from the Food Allowance Guarantee Fund.
Finally, the Permanent Delegation of next Wednesday will take up a decree aimed at the rollout of the reform of the System for Autonomy and Care for Dependency, which sets "the minimum monthly amounts of protection at 90 euros for moderate dependency, 260 euros for severe dependency, and 660 euros for great dependency", and also orders credit supplements to finance in 2027 the agreed level of protection.