The CUP lifts the veto in the PSC

BarcelonaThe CUP has always imposed a very high price on the various governments of the Generalitat. The clearest example is that it has only approved one budget since its arrival in Parliament in 2012. It was in 2017, and the endorsement of the anti-capitalist Junts pel Sí (Together for Yes) was in exchange for the referendum that would ultimately be held that fall. Neither before nor since has the assembly-based party supported the budget due to the refusal of the major pro-independence forces to heed their demands. Nor now, with the PSC in government, has the CUP shown any willingness to approve them, although the Socialists ultimately postponed the budget due to a lack of support. The president of the CUP in Parliament, Laia Estrada, said that she considered it "virtually impossible" to negotiate the budget with Salvador Illa's government in the first and only meeting with the Minister of Economy, Alícia Romero.

After that formal meeting, however, the CUP is once again negotiating with the PSC, according to ARA. And it's not doing so over the additional credit needed due to the lack of budget, but rather over the housing decree that the Catalan government wants to turn into a bill. The CUP thus lifts the PSC's veto, although it hasn't tired of accusing it of being "the most pro-Spanish and right-wing party in history." But what has changed? The housing emergency. "Our model of country is very different, but there are key issues like this that must be discussed because the social unrest is evident," explains MP Laure Vega, who gives an example. The thousands of people who demonstrated again on Saturday in BarcelonaThe PSC's arrival in the Generalitat changes everything. "Being a party is different from being in government, and now it has the responsibility to provide a response on housing when it is the country's main problem," Vega emphasizes, believing that the executive must choose whether to place itself "at the service of the citizens or the vulture funds."

After an initial meeting two weeks ago, both parties have agreed to meet this week before Wednesday's plenary session to try to reach an agreement. "We saw they were receptive and they came to talk about it," adds the CUP representative, who recalls that Isla said that "he wouldn't hesitate" when it came to promoting measures to guarantee the right to housing. The fact that the CUP has now agreed to negotiate with the PSC is also a result of the Garbí Process, through which the anti-capitalists re-founded themselves after the recent electoral setbacks. "The CUP must play a relevant role, and social demands must be reflected in Parliament," Vega emphasizes. "Anti-politics is not doing anything that doesn't have to do with your life," he adds.

The three measures the CUP is demanding

The CUP (Coup d'Or) has put three measures on the table to support the future law. First, the regulation of seasonal and room contracts. "They are the loophole that the LAU currently has and where speculators find the 'law made, the trap made' and are using them to evict tenants from their homes and be able to raise the price because in these two cases the rental price index cap doesn't apply," the CUP members denounce. In this sense, they demand that seasonal contracts only apply to the use of housing in cases of recreational, tourism, or holiday season use, and that all other leases be governed by the same legislation as housing contracts.

The second point is to retroactively protect the social housing system. "It makes no sense to propose building public housing while we lose what we've already built," argues the CUP. And, finally, the anti-capitalist party is calling for a corps of inspectors dedicated to upholding the law. A body that would review fraudulent offers or abusive clauses. "There's no point in legislating if we don't enforce the law," the CUP (United Nations) party asserts.

The Commons are also lobbying.

The Commons also conditions its vote in favor of the decree on regulating seasonal and room rentals and maintaining the social protection regime for currently protected housing, especially in areas under stress. The group led by Jéssica Albiach met this Monday with the Minister for Territory, Silvia Paneque, to try to obtain a commitment from the Socialists in this regard. After the meeting, sources from the Commons confirmed "positive progress." However, they do not yet guarantee their vote and are urging further negotiations: "The Commons consider it especially important that the proposal for seasonal and room rentals be truly effective, and this is not guaranteed at this time." The party wants the new regulation to materialize within a maximum of three months. According to the same sources, the Government has agreed to set a time limit for parliamentary work to approve the new regulations if the chamber ultimately approves the decree law.

The PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) is confident they can reach a deal in time and asserts that they agree with the "major" housing measures proposed by Albiach's group. "We are optimistic and believe it will ultimately be approved by Parliament," said PSC spokesperson and party number two, Lluïsa Moret.

Government Reluctance

Until now, the Catalan government has expressed reluctance both to regulate seasonal rentals through Catalan law and to retroactively protect social housing, arguing that it could raise "legal security" issues. In fact, the Catalan executive has suggested that the groups study all these issues during its processing as a bill for the housing decree. However, this will only happen if the groups first agree to validate it in this week's plenary session. The government has already had to concede a first goal from the opposition this Monday: it withdrew thedecree to study the viability of campsitesin flood-prone areas, after failing to secure enough support to avoid the parliamentary defeat that would have occurred in Parliament in this week's vote.

The party that has agreed to vote to keep the decree from failing is Esquerra, according to the party's deputy secretary of communications, Isaac Albert. The Republicans assert that the government has committed to processing the decree as a bill in exchange for "introducing" the "initial" wording proposed by the Republicans to regulate seasonal rentals. Thus, ERC would vote for the decree in exchange for introducing the changes they propose via amendments, changes that are in line with what the Cuperos are asking for.