The Minister of Culture and spokesperson for Sumar, Ernest Urtasun, continues to trust in reaching an understanding with parliamentary partners regarding the future housing decree, despite the warnings issued by parties such as Podemos and Junts in Congress.
In statements made in the corridors of the Lower House, Urtasun reiterated that there is "space" to seal a pact and claimed that the draft prepared by the Government, which includes among other issues the extension of rental contracts until 2028, constitutes a solid basis that can be compatible with "many of the aspirations that legitimately" the different groups raise.
"I am convinced that we will be able to find an agreement (...) I say this, moreover, from a position of having dialogued a lot with the groups for many months on this issue. Therefore, I want to be optimistic and I believe that we will achieve it," said the Minister of Culture, emphasizing the contacts maintained so far.
The minister emphasized that now the phase opens for parliamentary parties to present their proposals and nuances to the text, but he stressed that the objective is for the decree to move forward backed by the majority of the bloc that made the investiture possible.
A decree that Sumar wants to reach consensus on with all partners
Under that premise, Urtasun stressed that the spirit of the decree is inclusive: "The groups will legitimately ask us to add, to remove things, this has to be a text for everyone and, therefore, I will be very respectful of all the proposals that the groups make to us," he emphasized, appealing for it to be the "decree of all."
Despite that call for consensus, several parties have already distanced themselves from the scheme designed by the Executive. This is the case of Podemos, whose Secretary General, Ione Belarra, urged the Government this Thursday to address the PP if its intention is to use this decree to introduce a reform of the Land Law.
Junts has also expressed its rejection of the text in its current configuration. The independentist formation has warned that it will not support the decree law promoted by Sumar to extend rentals until 2028, considering it an "interventionist" measure that "does not respect the competencies of Catalonia in housing matters."
On the other hand, the PNV has conditioned its support on the extension of rental contracts until 2028 that is expected to be included in the decree being limited to those tenant individuals who are up to date with payments and have been so during the twelve months prior to the request for the extension.
Sumar claims the agreement despite the complexity of the negotiation
In parallel, the spokesperson for Sumar in Congress, Verónica Martínez Barbero, has supported Urtasun's position by reiterating that the coalition aims to reach a broad parliamentary agreement and that they have never "trembled" nor felt "fear" in the face of a negotiation, no matter how complicated it may be.
"We have a final objective, which is that people can continue living in their homes. Our final objective is that no one has their rent increased by 50 or 60%," she stated, emphasizing next that she considers it essential for the entire citizenry that the extension of the rents included in the decree is approved.