Housing needs budget, investment and land
Housing conditions the emancipation of young people, the decisions of families, and the ability of companies to attract workers. The response requires assuming public responsibilities and expanding supply. Seeking culprits among those who can provide savings, land, and the capacity to build will hardly bring us closer to a solution.
If we want housing to become a new pillar of the welfare state, we must start with the budgets. According to Eurostat, in 2024 Spain allocated 0.21% of its GDP to housing development and housing benefits, compared to the EU average of 0.59%. These functions represented 0.47% of Spanish public spending and 1.21% of European spending. These are two specific items, which do not include all fiscal support or all housing-related spending, but they show a budgetary effort lower than the European average.
The time perspective is revealing. The sum of these items went from 4.137 billion euros in 2009 to 1.955 billion in 2013 and to 3.413 billion in 2024. The recovery had not yet reached the nominal level of 2009. Furthermore, in 2013, the general deduction for new acquisitions of habitual residence was eliminated, while a transitional regime was maintained for previous ones. Support for purchasing was reduced without consolidating a sufficiently powerful and sustained direct policy.
The real estate crisis also weakened productive capacity. Between 2008 and 2014, Catalonia lost more than half of its construction employment and more than a quarter of its industrial employment, according to the EPA. Companies, trades, and experience were lost that are difficult to recover today. The adjustment was too often accepted as an inevitable downsizing, without sufficiently valuing the loss of specialized labor. Population growth, fueled in large part by immigration, has increased residential needs in the face of a supply with little capacity for response. The recourse to renting rooms may delay access to a complete home, but it does not resolve this need. Industrialized construction can help, but trained professionals and a stable portfolio of projects are also needed.
The result is seen in social housing. In Catalonia, 6,675 were completed in 2010 and only 617 in 2015. The 3,517 in 2025 indicate an improvement, but the accumulated gap cannot be recovered in a single year. A housing policy requires continuity over decades: announcements without a budget or execution capacity do not guarantee new homes.
Regulations must also be evaluated by their results. Foment and the APCE have warned of the effects of the 30% social housing reservation in certain developments and major renovations in Barcelona. Shifting the cost of social policy onto specific operations can make them unviable and reduce the supply that is intended to be expanded. This obligation must be reviewed, taking into account the homes effectively obtained and the projects that have not moved forward. Restrictions and excessive taxation can displace investment toward other territories.
Redistribution requires budgetary resources provided by society as a whole. Burdening it upon a supply that is already scarce can stall developments and make access more expensive. It is necessary to mobilize investment with legal certainty, stable rules, a tax system that favors renting, and predictable administrative deadlines. Reasonable profitability allows for financing construction, renovation, and maintenance. Social obligations must be compatible with the economic viability of projects.
The shock plan must combine multi-year budgets, urbanized land, more agile licenses, and public-private collaboration. Surface rights on public land allow for reducing the initial cost and maintaining public ownership of the terrain, with affordable rents and conservation commitments. It is also necessary to revise protected modules so that they cover efficient costs and to reinforce vocational training for trades. Meanwhile, vulnerable households need aid that prevents the wait from worsening their situation.
The Administration must provide stable resources, facilitate execution, and be accountable; companies must invest and assume verifiable commitments. The right to housing will be made effective with more available, affordable, and well-located homes. Converting it into a social pillar requires providing it with a budget and bringing on board those who can make it possible.
