A voucher for condoms and more rental assistance: Government and Commons make progress on budgets

BarcelonaA new step forward towards a budget agreement between Comuns and the Catalan Government. Jéssica Albiach's party has agreed with the executive to expand housing rental assistanceThe agreement includes increasing the family income limit for accessing the benefit to €36,279, up from the current €25,200, and raising the monthly rent limit to €855 (€1,135 in the case of Barcelona). Meanwhile, the Barcelona en Comú party has secured a commitment from the government to create annual vouchers worth €25 each for menstrual products and condoms for young people.

Albiach announced all of this at a press conference this Wednesday. Regarding rental assistance, she stated that it would reach an additional 49,500 families and 25% of all tenant families over the next two years. The morning of Catalunya Ràdio And ARA has been able to confirm this. However, prioritization criteria will be established for families that allocate more than 30% of their household income to rent, while also facilitating access to aid for those with lower incomes. "Given the increased cost of living, we are starting with those with the lowest incomes and gradually expanding the program. Right now, having a salary or a job is no guarantee of decent living conditions," Albiach said. The Ministry of Economy has not commented on the agreement.

In the past, Comuns had prioritized other housing measures over rental assistance. Now, however, the group believes it is time to invest in it, both because of the rising cost of living and because market dysfunctions have already been addressed from other angles: for example, through intervention via rent caps in high-demand areas, and the regulation of seasonal rentals to prevent them from becoming a loophole for circumventing the law – 100 such measures will be implemented in the first quarter alone. Rental assistance is already available in countries like the UK, Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands. This will mean an increase of €100 million in the budget for these measures, bringing the total to €300 million. The assistance would amount to €200 per month, or €300 in the case of the youth voucher.

The agreement comes after the president's announcement on Tuesday evening. Salvador Illa once again placed housing as the "most important" issue and commit to finding "legally sound" proposals to address speculative housing purchases, the "essential" condition set by Comuns for reaching a budget agreement. However, Albiach has made it clear that they have no finalized agreement with the Government on this matter and has urged them to "take action." The Minister of Territory, Silvia Paneque, confirmed this Tuesday that there is "political will" to do so and that they are working with Albiach's party on a legal reform of urban planning regulations to achieve this. following the endorsement of the experts recruited by the Government for this approachSo where is the reef? "It's up to the Government to say. It's more a matter of vision," the leader of Comuns pointed out.

At the last minute, another agreement on mobility was made public. According to what has been revealed The Newspaper And as confirmed by ARA, the executive and Comuns have also agreed to reinforce the commitment that the transfer of the R1 line will take place this year, 2026, as planned in the schedule agreed upon with ERC. Furthermore, they have signed a commitment to begin the transfer of the R3 line and the southern R2 line – an operation in that the Generalitat was already working—, the R4 North and the R16 —also already planned, but pending finalization—. Furthermore, with the aim of accelerating the railway network improvement works, they have agreed that the Generalitat (Catalan government) will assume their execution through management agreements. However, these are issues that the Catalan executive will have to negotiate directly with the Ministry of Transport.

The new checks

The annual vouchers for menstrual products and condoms announced by Comuns will be worth 25 million euros. Initially, the party had proposed that the aid for feminine hygiene products, which are subject to a 4% VAT, be available to all menstruating individuals, regardless of age. The agreement with the government limits it to women between 12 and 25 years old, with a commitment to study expanding it in the future. The measure is similar to one previously implemented by Tania Virgen's Ministry of Equality and Feminism, but goes further: while the aid was then only for reusable menstrual products, now it will cover any product, from tampons to sanitary pads. These products can be purchased at pharmacies with a health card (if the budget is approved).

The sexual health voucher will only cover condoms, because the goal of the agreement is not only to ease the financial burden on young people between 16 and 25 years old, but also to promote "safety" in sexual relations. "It doesn't seek to moralize, but to guarantee rights," stressed Albiach, who pointed out the alarming increase in sexually transmitted diseases. In Catalonia they rise by 32% each year, above the average in Europe. where these diseases have become a public health problem in recent years. Among the causes of this increase, experts point to the rise in risky sexual behaviors, a decline in condom use, and an increase in the number of sexual partners a person has.

Sick leave

The other open front of dispute between the Govern and Comuns is the economic incentives for primary care centers to try to shorten sick leavewhich ERC and CUP have also demanded be withdrawn. The three groups submitted a request for the Minister of Health, Olga Pané, to appear before Parliament and explain herself. For the time being, Albiach believes that Isla already took "a first step" in this direction yesterday when he stated that the only criterion for granting sick leave would be "the doctor."

The Socialist leader did not consider withdrawing the measure, but the Comuns party is now awaiting concrete details from the Health Department to ensure that the president's promises are fulfilled. "It's a retraction without actually retracting. We know how this works," commented the Comuns leader in the Catalan Parliament.