The Spanish government is studying a formula to save pensions with the votes of Junts.

MadridLast week, Congress rejected the pension increase and the so-called social shield to curb evictions, with votes from the PP, Junts, and Vox parties. Now, the Spanish government is studying how to reinstate a significant portion of the failed decree-law and is searching for a formula that might satisfy the Junts party. Less than 24 hours before the cabinet meeting, sources at La Moncloa (the Prime Minister's residence) assure that the pension reinstatement "is well on track" and could be approved this Tuesday, while they remain uncertain about the other housing-related measures included in the decree, as there is a red line. The final blow may come at the last minute, and in fact, the Junts party assumes that the Spanish government will incorporate some measure to appease them. Miriam Nogueras's party had already asked La Moncloa last week to break up the content of the so-called omnibus decree-law, but at that time, the PSOE and Sumar parties refused. Now they are forced to at least set aside some of the necessary votes to push through the pension increase, in addition to any housing-related measures they manage to agree on and circumvent Junts' veto. In other words, the same situation as last year will be repeated, when the social safety net decree was rejected in Congress and later revived after talks with Carles Puigdemont's party. The difference now is that Junts insists they are not negotiating with the government, as this is their modus operandi following their break with the PSOE in October. They are clear on this point: "If they include the entire issue of jobs, we will vote in favor of the decree." Sources from the group led by Míriam Nogueras maintain that from the outset, like the PP, they were prepared to support the pension increase. However, they maintain that they will not vote in favor if the Spanish government does not separate this measure from the so-called omnibus decree that also prevented the eviction of vulnerable families. "Yes to pensions, no to squatting," Junts reiterates. Specifically, the Junts members oppose two measures included in the decree: firstly, the suspension of evictions of vulnerable families who stop paying rent—whether they are large or small landlords; and secondly, they also reject the suspension of evictions when the property is occupied by vulnerable families if it is owned by a legal entity or by individuals who own more than ten properties. "Squatters bother the neighbors," argue Junts sources, adding that this occurs especially when the owners are large landlords who are not monitoring what happens in their properties.

A year ago, Junts did support these measures in exchange for the establishment of a compensation fund for landlords who would lose rent from their tenants. But a year later, they lament that this compensation has not materialized. Along the same lines, the PNV—despite having voted in favor of the decree last week—this Monday called for "protection for small landlords" from this measure: that is, they propose that people who own only one rental property should not be forced to support vulnerable tenants if they fail to pay rent. "This responsibility cannot fall on these small landlords; the administration must help those who have run out of resources, but without harming those who own only one additional rental property," said the spokesperson for the Basque group, Maribel Vaquero.

Therefore, the PSOE once again finds itself caught between Junts and the PNV, along with the rest of its left-wing partners, who are demanding that it not back down on measures against evictions.

The left is applying pressure

This Monday, Sumar opened itself to the possibility of splitting the social decree into two parts, but only if both are approved simultaneously by the Council of Ministers and there is an agreement with Junts for their ratification in Congress. These conditions are not currently met.

"Our position is that all the measures must be passed. The important thing is not the how, but the what. They all have to be included; we will not allow the measure suspending evictions to be dropped," explained Sumar spokesperson and Minister Ernest Urtasun. For his part, Esquerra spokesperson Gabriel Rufián also expressed his willingness to negotiate and criticized Junts and the PP for rejecting the decree law because they don't like some of the measures. "It's like refusing to eat because you don't like a particular dish," he concluded in statements to the media.