Junts dismantles the social safety net and distances itself even further from the PSOE
The council members voted against the decree and presented their own alternative to the anti-eviction measure.
MadridIn Congress, everyone assumed on Thursday morning that the Spanish government's social safety net would not pass. Ultimately, Junts' threat to vote against it again materialized, demonstrating not only thenot only the break with the PSOE, but also the complete lack of dialogue between the two parties since Carles Puigdemont's party decided to break with the Socialists. For the second time, the votes of the Catalan separatists, but also those of the People's Party (PP) and Vox, have derailed this package of measures, as happened a month ago when the Spanish government first brought the decree to Congress. Back then, the social safety net and the pension increase were in the same document, but this time Pedro Sánchez's government separated them to ensure that, at a minimum, the increase in these benefits in 2026 would go ahead (they will increase by 2.7%). Vox was the only party to vote against it.
At the same time, the other key vote this Thursday (the decree to limit prices of goods and services in emergency casesIt also failed because the PP, Vox, and Junts voted against it. Sources within Junts in Madrid compare this measure to Nicolás Maduro's Venezuela.
Junts presents an alternative
Junts argues that it is voting against the social safety net again because the central government has not excluded the anti-eviction measure, which has been in effect since the COVID-19 pandemic. The agreement between the Spanish government and the PNV to exclude small property owners from the measure has therefore been largely ineffective.
"Social safety net yes, squatting no," stated Junts spokesperson in Congress, Miriam Nogueras, this Wednesday. This Thursday, the party registered its own non-binding motion with an alternative to the current moratorium, attempting to establish its own distinct position, as it has also done with other issues such as the burka ban.
The Junts party believes that the ban on evicting some vulnerable families, included in the social safety net, not only fuels squatting but also fails to solve the housing crisis and leaves landlords unprotected. In this regard, they criticize the Spanish government for not fulfilling its commitment to compensate landlords for unpaid rent, despite having announced €300 million. However, the party says it lacks precise data on the impact of the current anti-eviction measure because the Spanish government "is not providing it," explain Junts sources in Madrid.
According to housing rights movements, the measure has temporarily halted some 58,000 evictions (with data up to 2024), some of which are due to non-payment of rent or termination of the contract and rent increase.
Sources within the Spanish government acknowledge that at this time there is no room for dialogue in terms of negotiation with Carles Puigdemont's party, despite the "cordial" nature of the relationship. Although the Spanish government went into Thursday's vote assuming defeat, the clash is evident. "Why are they buying into the right-wing and far-right narrative?" Pedro Sánchez reproached Miriam Nogueras on Wednesday, referring to the occupation rhetoric. The only way to rectify this situation, in the eyes of the Moncloa Palace (the Prime Minister's office), is the return of Carles Puigdemont. This would remove the fact that the amnesty has not been implemented from the list of breaches denounced by Junts (the ruling coalition), even though other issues remain unresolved, such as the delegation of powers regarding immigration.
However, Thursday's social safety net includes measures such as the electricity and heating social bonus, tax breaks for the purchase of an electric car or for home renovations to improve energy efficiency, and updates to advance payments for the autonomous communities and municipalities, among other things. Junts has stated that if the Spanish government excludes the eviction moratorium, it would support the other measures. The Junts party has also not been open to supporting the package but processing it as a bill to introduce amendments later, as they believe this approach will likely end up shelved. For now, the Spanish government has not indicated whether it plans to bring a new safety net to Congress later, this time including the anti-eviction measure.