Illa commits to buying flats from vulnerable families to avoid cases like that of Maricarmen Abascal

BarcelonaSalvador Illa has officially kicked off the political year with new promises, especially in housing. The President of the Generalitat announced during the general policy debate in Parliament that the Government will promote an anti-eviction fund, shared and temporary purchases between administrations and citizens who cannot afford the down payment on an apartment, and the expansion of youth emancipation loans.

The leader of the PSC pointed out that the goal is to avoid more cases like that of Maricarmen Abascal, who was evicted from her home at 87 years old. "This is not the model of society we want," Illa remarked. And he indirectly compared himself to Madrid, governed by the PP of Isabel Díaz Ayuso. "In Catalonia, we have values and we put humanity above all else," he stressed. On the other hand, he took the opportunity to express gratitude for the processing of the Maricarmen decree promoted by the Spanish government, led by Pedro Sánchez.

It is in this context, regarding the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal and housing at the center of the debate in Madrid, that Illa has launched the commitment to create a 25 million euro fund to prevent new cases like that of this lady from Madrid. As the president explained, it would only be activated as a "last resort" and to stop evictions of "vulnerable" citizens. The amount of money put in by the Generalitat is "expandable" and Illa has invited other administrations—such as city councils, county councils, and provincial councils—to contribute more funding.

However, this has not been the only "unprecedented" measure that Illa has committed to carrying out. He also announced that the Generalitat will offer the option to Catalans "40 years old with stable incomes"—but who have "difficulties accessing a mortgage"—to assume half of the purchase and ownership of a home. The deal is that the citizen can live there as an owner for 40 or 50 years, and afterwards pay the remainder or hand it over to the Generalitat, which would place it as social housing. This measure will have funding of 100 million euros.

Illa also made an announcement on another of the most pressing issues on the public agenda, which is education, and proposed to the parliamentary groups to create a new regulation to "recognize the public authority" of teachers. However, he did not detail how he intends to achieve this and has asked the rest of the political forces to get involved to analyze "the best way to do so".

On the other hand, the president also announced that he will promote the holding in Catalonia of a conference of European regions that are "committed to democracy, the rule of law, and European values." "We democrats are the majority, and we must build this great alliance. Catalonia is and will be on the front line," he said in a speech that lasted an hour and a half. In this case, he also did not specify whether he has already been in contact with his counterparts across the continent or if there are already regions that want to join.

The socialist leader, who has once again given a speech focused quite a bit on current international affairs, has announced the launch of a Catalonia-Ukraine program to strengthen and facilitate aid from Catalan administrations to Kyiv. "We want our commitment to have continuity, structure, and concrete results for mutual benefit," the president stressed.

The application of the amnesty

On October 6th, a plenary session in the Parliament of Catalonia and another at the Constitutional Court will begin in parallel. In Madrid, the progressive wing of the Constitutional Court will validate the full amnesty for former minister Dolors Bassa and, by extension, the rest of the 1-O leaders whom the Supreme Court had refused to amnesty. That day it will not yet be effective, but the President of the Generalitat is confident that in the next plenary session of the Parliament, scheduled for October 20th, Catalonia will be able to welcome the deputies who remain in exile. "I want us to have President Puigdemont with us in the next debate we hold in Parliament," he said.

The president has vindicated the work of his government to improve people's lives and also to improve coexistence. And this is where the amnesty comes in, necessary to build a "more united, cohesive and prosperous" society. "The amnesty law has the endorsement of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and the Constitutional Court. Its application is mandatory without further delay. And so it will be, as I have always defended," he insisted. Illa has vehemently defended the application of the amnesty since it was one of the agreements in 2023 between the PSOE, ERC and Junts for the investiture of Pedro Sánchez. Before, he, like the rest of the Socialist Party, had opposed this measure.

In addition to guaranteeing Puigdemont's return to Parliament, it will also cause another active deputy to return from exile, such as former minister Lluís Puig, and for Josep Maria Jové, president of the ERC parliamentary group, to see the case against him in the High Court of Justice of Catalonia overcome. Illa has also defended that the republican president, Oriol Junqueras, see his political rights restored. "Catalonia decided long ago to look forward. The vast majority of us are committed to reconciliation, dialogue, and coexistence."

"Propaganda" and "lack of national ambition"

Criticism of the president's speech was not long in coming in the press conferences following the plenary session. The spokesperson for the main opposition party, the Junts member Salvador Vergés, stressed that it was "propaganda" that was entirely "predictable": "We are very worried that we have seen a president who lives in an imaginary Catalonia," he insisted. His "triumphalism," according to the Junts leader, contrasts with the fact that the president has shown himself to be "very far from the suffering of doctors, teachers, farmers, and fishermen," in his opinion. Thus, he saw the president as accustomed to "bad management" and failing to respond well to the educational or security challenge, and that, regarding housing, he relies on "partial measures," although he showed himself to be open to some housing measures.

From investment partners like ERC, spokesperson Ester Capella lamented the "boring speech in form" and with a "lack of national ambition in substance" on the part of the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, in the general policy debate. At the same time, she censured the scarcity of resources announced for housing: she stated that they are "a drop in the ocean." In turn, the leader of the Comuns in the chamber, Jéssica Albiach, pointed out that "Catalonia is not better" and that the speech against the far-right does not quite work without measures: "We have seen triumphalism and 'come back in ten years'," she said, adding that he did not announce the "market intervention" of housing, but rather "giving money to investors." This diagnosis that "it falls short" was also shared by the CUP; its spokesperson, Xavi Pellicer, labeled the purchase subsidies a "rescue for kidnappers" because he believes they go to vulture funds and reproached Illa for "juggling."

On the Spanish nationalist right flank, the PP spokesperson, Lorena Roldán, lashed out at Illa for his "very disappointing" intervention, which sounded like "a broken record," as she said, while he was "incapable" of responding to the management. At the same time, the Vox spokesperson, Joan Garriga, pointed out that Illa "is distanced from the real Catalonia" and labeled the housing measures as "ridiculous."