Government and Commons reach an agreement for the 2026 budget

BarcelonaThe Catalan government and the Comuns party have reached an agreement on the 2026 budget. President Salvador Illa and Jéssica Albiach will sign the agreement at 11:00 AM in the Gothic Gallery of the Palau de la Generalitat, according to the Catalan government. This is an important step, but not enough for the budget, for which the Catalan government will also require the support of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC). The pact with the Comuns comes after both parties announced on Tuesday... an agreement to expand rental assistance and to create vouchers for menstrual products and condoms. But the detachment from the final understanding, according to Ser Catalunya reported this morningAn agreement to regulate speculative housing purchases has been reached, and this has been the most successful negotiation so far. According to published information, the agreed-upon formula involves submitting a bill to the Catalan Parliament that will limit housing acquisitions for "large property owners" in "areas of high residential demand," which in Catalonia comprise 271 municipalities where more than 90% of the population lives. It's worth noting that large property owners are defined as those with five or more properties in the same high-demand area. The text to be presented to the Catalan Parliament will give these owners two options in the event of a new purchase: acquiring a property for personal and habitual use or acquiring an entire building to rent out the units, always respecting the legal limit. Other owners—those with fewer than five apartments—will be allowed to acquire apartments and rent them out, provided they respect the price cap established for high-demand areas.

While awaiting full details of the overall agreement, it was announced late Wednesday that the Catalan government's budget pact with Albiach's party will also include a commitment to transferring the R1 commuter rail line in 2026, as already planned in the timetable agreed upon with ERC.

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