A bright orange Lamborghini speeds up. It's dazzling and makes a deafening noise. It parks in front of you and a young guy gets out, with a slicked-back blonde quiff and well-worked biceps, wearing a Gucci polo shirt worth over 1,000 euros, an appearance he completes with a gold ring and a Rolex watch. You've been following him on social media for a while and admire the money he makes and how he spends it. The cars, the houses, the outfits, the jewelry. You envy his trips around the world. Colombia, Costa Rica, the United Arab Emirates, Japan. You've been taking his advice on investing, on being a winner, for a long time. What is success if it's not what he does? You even set aside some of the little money you have to enjoy the privilege of having him all to yourself for a few hours, so he can explain how he's done it. He gets out of the car and calls you 'crack'. And, automatically, you feel like a crack. He fascinates you. He abducts you. He captivates you. He makes you fall in love.

In Barcelona, ​​it's possible to live in a rented apartment with extremely unsanitary conditions. It's also possible to live there knowing the building manager is aware of the situation, that a city inspector has visited the apartment, and that an architect has even certified "a dramatic situation of dampness" that can cause rhinitis, bronchitis, and even pneumonia. These are, in fact, the respiratory ailments that Felicia, the tenant, has suffered every winter for the past five years. With mandatory renovations still underway, she will be leaving this penthouse in the Born district in a few days because the landlord has decided not to renew her contract, which expires in a few months.

The landlords' association Som Habitatge, which was created less than a year ago to counterbalance the Sindicat de Llogateres (Tenants' Union), has questioned the constitutionality of the Catalan law that regulates seasonal and room rentals. approved last December by the ParliamentThis legislation, a first in Spain, would be unconstitutional for a number of reasons that the organization outlined this Wednesday at a press conference, based on a report prepared by three professors of civil law. The initiative was approved thanks to votes in favor from the PSC, ERC, Comuns, and CUP parties to prevent the fraudulent use of these temporary rental arrangements to circumvent the rent cap, in effect throughout Spain since March 2024. The legal mechanism for achieving this means that all tenants are subject to the housing law, regardless of the contract's duration (therefore, this also applies to students or workers relocating for work). Furthermore, the total price paid by all tenants in an apartment rented by the room cannot exceed the cap that would apply if the entire apartment were rented. Thus, for the past three months, only vacation or recreational rentals have been exempt, and documentation is required for all such arrangements.

Javier Gil (Madrid, 1985) is a researcher at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and holds a PhD in Sociology. He has spent years researching the financialization of housing, the megaforks and also social movements. Now he publishes Renter Generation (Captain Swing).

One of the main objectives of government agencies in addressing the housing crisis is to increase the available housing stock, with a particular focus on social housing. This involves building new apartments or mobilizing existing ones. Regarding the latter, the Spanish government has approved the previously announced public call for proposals for €100 million to acquire private homes throughout Spain.

Housing prices in Catalonia have reached their peak. First it wasthe price of new apartments, then the one of all the homes on the open market together–both new builds and resale properties– and, finally, what had resisted the most has fallen: the value of the latter, also called used homes, has just surpassed the peak reached in 2007. Almost twenty years after the bursting of the bubble, which had devastating consequences for the real estate sector.

Wallbox, a Catalan manufacturer of electric vehicle chargers, closed 2025 with losses, in line with the results obtained in previous years, but reduced them by 32% to €103 million. This reduction contrasts with a drop in revenue, which fell from €163.9 million in 2024 to €145.1 million this year.

The Rental Companies Union and the Socialist Housing Union of Catalonia have filed a complaint with the Catalan Consumer Agency (ACC) and the Catalan Housing Agency (AHC) against two real estate agencies for publishing 44 "fraudulent" room rental advertisements. According to the complaint, the advertisements failed to provide information on the previous rental agreement or the landlord's status as a large property owner in areas with a tight market. The obligation to provide this information has been in effect since February 2025, when the Catalan Parliament approved the decree-law that became law last December to regulate seasonal and room rentals. Thus, for the past two months, these obligations—to provide information on the reference index, the price of the previous contract, and the landlord's status as a large property owner in areas with a tight market—have also been extended to room and temporary rental contracts, as stated in the complaint. The challenge of inspection

"We filed these lawsuits so that the inspectors' office can proactively investigate the contracts. The advertisements state that the apartments are for recreational and leisure use, but we see that they are occupied by workers and students, and therefore the price cap should be enforced," explained Enric Aragonès, spokesperson for the Union. The union called a press conference in front of the building located at 60 Buenos Aires Street, where the headquarters of one of these real estate funds—New Amsterdam Developers (NAD)—is located. Minutes earlier, they had delivered these lawsuits to the fund. Txema, accompanied by other residents whose leases have not been renewed by this company, which has converted their apartments into rooms for rent, was responsible for delivering the lawsuits. "We are asking them to comply with the law, to withdraw the lawsuits against us—he himself has an eviction date at the end of March—and we are filing the lawsuit," he explained to the media, speaking from a makeshift table in front of the blog. Their case came to light more than a year ago: several neighbors saw their contracts not being renewed because of coliving.

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What is the real impact of the price cap on the rental market? Has it managed to lower the price of new contracts or at least contain it? The answer, in accordance with the objective for which it was created, which was to prevent abusive increases during times of high demand or scarcity, is positive: in Catalonia, since the rent cap came into effect in March 2024, the price of new contracts has risen by 0.8% in the municipalities declared to be under pressure, and by 3% in the city of Barcelona.

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2025 was on track to become a landmark year for home sales in Catalonia. And it was. While the number of transactions was exceptionally high every month of the year, the cumulative sales figures for 2007 were never surpassed. However, December was a particularly strong month, with 8,181 sales, 9.9% more than the previous December, bringing the annual total to 112,000. Exactly 1,100 more than in 2007.

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The Catalan government wants to move away from the model that has been used to build and manage large public infrastructure projects over the last 14 years. This model is characterized by two elements: the payment for road use by the administration, popularly known as shadow tolling, and the possibility for private companies to buy back part or all of the completed infrastructure from the administration. This "Copernican" shift, according to sources in the Department of Territory, Housing, and Ecological Transition, seeks to resolve the problems of underinvestment in infrastructure maintenance by linking investment, replacement, and maintenance. Therefore, as the head of the department, Silvia Paneque, announced on February 6, the Catalan government has launched a preliminary market consultation (CPM) to explore public works concessions with availability-based payments, meaning payment is based on the condition of the infrastructure rather than its usage. This will be done in three major areas of mobility: roads, electric vehicle charging, and Metro Line L9. All of this with a planned investment exceeding €1.2 billion. The expectation is to begin bidding this year.

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The Catalan mortgage market closed 2025 with an upward surge, which may signal a change in the economic cycle. The number of mortgages granted in December reached 6,464, 25% more than a year earlier and also the highest figure since December 2009. Meanwhile, the price of these mortgages, measured by the average annual interest rate, fell after soaring in November.

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Startups in the life sciences and healthcare sector in Catalonia, known as BioRegió, are once again positioning themselves as one of the cornerstones of the Catalan economy. Last year, with a record €517 million in investment in start-ups7% above the 2022 peak, and an upward trend in all system indicators that consolidates Catalonia as one of the epicenters of the pharmaceutical industry in Europe.

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The trade war provoked by the Donald Trump administration, as well as its interventions in other countries, have heightened geopolitical tensions and disrupted traditional trade relations. In Catalonia, 67% of the €4.35 billion in exports to the United States have been affected. equivalent to 2.9% of all Catalan exports worldwideThis will be one of the main impacts on Catalonia's trade balance in 2025, and it remains to be seen whether, after two consecutive years of exports exceeding €100 billion, Catalan companies will be able to maintain this pace. To address this, the Catalan Government has launched Catalunya Exporta, a new program to help up to 2,000 companies begin their internationalization process—that is, start selling abroad for the first time. Interested companies can participate in workshops and seminars to develop skills in areas such as international operations management, financing, and the structure of an export department. For three years, they will receive support and mentoring from an international trade specialist who will develop a roadmap for them to begin exporting.

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New job cuts in the Catalan pharmaceutical sector. Roche Diagnostics, a division of the Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche, has filed for a workforce reduction plan (ERE) that would affect up to 50 people at its facilities in Sant Cugat del Vallès, the company's headquarters. According to information obtained by ARA, the pharmaceutical company filed the ERE with the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy, and not with the Catalan Government's Department of Labor. Roche Diagnostics develops and supplies technological tools for monitoring research results, administering therapies, and enabling patients to self-monitor their diabetes—glucometers for diabetic patients are one example. The Sant Cugat campus also houses one of the Swiss group's main innovation and development centers. Roche has three divisions in Spain: Diagnostics, in Sant Cugat; Pharma, in Madrid; and Informatics Madrid, also in the Spanish capital. Sources within the company have explained to this newspaper that the terms of the workforce reduction plan have been agreed upon with the works council, and that the expected impact is 3% of Roche Diagnostics' workforce in Spain. "We periodically review our structure and processes to ensure that we remain competitive, efficient, and can respond appropriately to market challenges and opportunities," these sources added. This workforce adjustment is not the first carried out by Roche Diagnostics. Two years ago, in 2024, it also implemented a workforce reduction plan affecting the same number of people, which the independent verification report of the non-financial information statement justified by the planned merger of Roche Diagnostics and Roche Diabetes Care Spain. The restructuring plan for this merger initiated a process that was expected to last until December 2025.

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The severe windstorm that has been battering Catalonia this Thursday has led to the suspension of educational and university activities, as well as a recommendation from the Catalan government to take extreme precautions, avoid non-essential travel, and opt for teleworking. This scenario, in which an authority issues recommendations, limitations, or prohibitions on mobility, creates rights and obligations for workers—such as having paid leave or working remotely when possible—and also for companies—paying for this leave or facilitating teleworking. All of this is covered in Article 37.3.g) of the Workers' Statute, which states that employees "may be absent" from work for up to four days "with the right to remuneration" if they are unable to attend their workplace due to the authorities' directives regarding the weather. However, this right generates an economic cost that raises the following question: who should bear it?

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The most important urban planning tool for the Barcelona metropolitan area, designed to improve the territorial conditions of its 36 constituent municipalities, received renewed approval on Tuesday. This new framework will initiate the renewal of the Metropolitan General Plan, in effect since 1976 and based on an outdated model of growth through territorial expansion and occupation. Its objective is to address current challenges, particularly regarding housing, but also to balance the entire metropolis in terms of activity, mobility, land use, and development. This tool, the Metropolitan Urban Master Plan (PDUM), was approved by the Metropolitan Council, the highest governing body of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB). The process began in 2015 with the initial drafting; the first version was presented in 2019, and it received initial approval in 2023. In recent years, the plan has received more than 5,180 objections and reports from administrations and entities, such as the Federation of Neighborhood Associations of Barcelona (FAVB), which has required a second initial approval almost three years later. Provisional approval is expected before the next municipal elections, and final approval by 2028. "Now we have to see what changes have been made compared to the previous version. Of course, housing is an important issue, but it will have to be put into practice. They need to explain the contents very well," explains Jordi Giró, president of Confavc, in ARA. The approved text has not yet been made public. The guidelines now incorporated into the text, which will affect the 36 municipalities and 3.38 million inhabitants of the AMB (Barcelona Metropolitan Area), will create a unified urban planning framework of possibilities for the next 25 years. The PSC, ERC, Junts per Catalunya, En Comú Podem, Vivim Montcada i Reixac, Compromís, Acord per Torrelles, and Junts per Tiana voted in favor, while Vox voted against. The PP and the councilors from Hospitalet de Llobregat, David Quirós (PSC) and Jesús Husillos (PSC), abstained. The needs that the PDUM seeks to address—such as access to housing and integrated mobility—also exist in the municipalities just outside the AMB, such as Maresme, Vallès, Vallès, and Garraf. However, these municipalities are not part of the metropolitan institutional structure and, therefore, lack planning instruments. This absence is a long-standing demand in the debate on the metropolitan region. What does the new plan consist of?

This is a strategic urban development master plan, meaning it focuses more on the how and the processes, rather than on closed and defined proposals. It doesn't guarantee specific measures, but rather authorizes what can and cannot be done. "It's not a catalog of projects, but a document that provides guidance for ensuring that growth is carried out properly," explained Damià Calvet, Vice President of the Urban Planning and Natural Spaces Department, at a press conference on Tuesday. Thus, the plan defines objectives and also the processes for achieving them, which "doesn't mean it's less executive, but rather more operational," added Xavier Mariño, Director of the Urban Planning and Natural Spaces Department at the AMB (Barcelona Metropolitan Area). The text incorporates proposals and also the way to develop them with a set of "rules of the game" between the final phase of the PDUM – which will arrive from 2028 onwards – and the Metropolitan Urban Development Plan (POUMet), which is the metropolitan plan that will be activated to specify how the PDUM is applied in each area. In short, the approved master plan establishes a general framework, and the POUMet develops it with the detail corresponding to a municipal urban development plan (POUM). Precisely for all these reasons, Mariño also highlighted legal certainty as a final guiding principle, since the PDUM must comply with the hierarchy and respect the still-valid metropolitan general plan and the Barcelona Metropolitan Territorial Plan (PTMB) of the Generalitat, as well as fit within the legislative and urban planning framework.

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The Catalan government has issued its first sanction for racism against a real estate agency for allegedly engaging in covert discriminatory practices against Hamid, a Moroccan tenant in the Mataró neighborhood. He and his family, which includes two minor children, have been looking for an apartment for four years, but despite having the necessary income, agencies stopped calling them or refused to show them properties. They filed 13 complaints with the Mataró City Council, which dismissed them all after two years. After a four-year bureaucratic labyrinth involving the Catalan Housing Agency and the Catalan Consumer Agency, a complaint from the Catalan Ombudsman referred their case to the Catalan Government's Office for Equal Treatment and Non-Discrimination (OITND), which ultimately imposed the sanction on the Mataró agency. Along the way, Hamid has been accused of coercion for attempting to reach an agreement to avoid initiating disciplinary proceedings. "We've encountered a lukewarm public administration, passing the buck; agencies that don't assume ethical and legal obligations and prefer to attack," explained Miguel Ruiz, the lawyer in the case and a housing and urban development specialist at the Desca Observatory, at a press conference this Monday. This ordeal has resulted in 9 of the 12 complaints expiring, and of the three remaining cases, the Generalitat (Catalan government) has issued this first fine of €10,001—the lowest within a range that can reach €40,000. Now that proceedings have been initiated, the real estate agency can decide whether to file an appeal and pursue the matter through the courts. However, the Desca Observatory considers the evidence "overwhelming."

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What most determines the evolution of housing prices? Is it excess demand, a lack of supply, or the use of the property? What conclusions can be drawn from how the value of apartments and houses in our country has increased over the last twenty years? And the last five? Will building more lower prices? And does capping rental prices have any future beyond a limited period?

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Economist Antoni Serra Ramoneda (Barcelona, ​​1933), former president of Caixa Catalunya and former rector of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), has died at the age of 92, the university announced in a statement on Thursday. A professor in the Department of Business, Serra Ramoneda was a member of the UAB's founding team and served as its rector for five years, from 1980 to 1985, a period that briefly overlapped with his presidency of Caixa Catalunya, a position he held for 21 years, until 2005. He was appointed to the position of head of a textile company whose production center was located in L'Ametlla de Merola (Bages).official and chevalier He was awarded the Order of National Merit of the French Republic, and received the Narcís Monturiol Medal and the Cross of Saint George from the Generalitat of Catalonia. In 2024, he was awarded a doctorate.honorary causeby the University of the Balearic Islands.

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