With the country on alert due to the storm and in the midst of negotiations for the housing decree in Madrid, this Tuesday morning in the Cerdanyola neighborhood of Mataró, the harshest face of the housing crisis was experienced once again. A family with a child under ten years old and two people with disabilities was evicted by the Mossos d'Esquadra despite the protests that had been called at the door.

Last-minute agreement between PSOE and Sumar on housing. "The government parties have reached an agreement to approve the housing measures and respond to the citizens' demands," said sources from the Spanish government just as this Tuesday's Council of Ministers had already begun. In fact, the Spanish government's meeting started an hour late due to the disagreement between the two members of the coalition. The point of contention was, basically, the automatic extension of rental contracts. Finally, the pact involves splitting the decree of measures into two different decree-laws.

The years I lived in the United States I witnessed firsthand the existential distress that it means for many people not to have public health coverage as we have in Europe or in Canada itself. Even with a health insurance policy linked to a payroll, the fear of many workers is that, if a cancer or a serious accident comes or they die, they will be ruined, they or their loved ones, because the mutual insurance companies do not always play fair with the fine print. Our distress over housing is looking more and more like the distress of North Americans over health.

Maybe it is not the 15-M, but many things remind us of it. "The people united will never be defeated". "Long live the struggle of the working class", sing the thousands of people who this Monday night remain in the Puerta del Sol in Madrid, many of whom will spend their third night there defying the rain and the cold that has suddenly arrived in the Spanish capital. They are all clear that until the so-called Maricarmen decree with the at least four requests made by the Tenants' Union goes ahead, they will not move.

If we set aside the shouting, the demagoguery, the emotionality, the threats from neofascist groups and parties, and the pre-election maneuvers of all political parties, the essential question remains. And the essential question is that the right of individuals to decent housing is a basic right, also constitutional in the Spanish state. A right, therefore, prior to other rights, such as that of property. Prior or superior, let us call it as you prefer. The right to decent housing is also prior or superior to the law of supply and demand. As the jurist Joaquim Bosch has explained, in many European countries an eviction like Maricarmen's would not have been possible because their laws prioritize the right of individuals to remain in their homes. We are talking about countries like Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Denmark, recognized communist and Bolivarian fiefdoms. But, as Bosch says, placing market law before the right of individuals to decent housing only leads us to the rule of another kind of law: the law of the jungle, where only the strongest prosper. (In these countries, even if their police forces are as beastly as any others on other occasions, they would have spared themselves a new episode of police brutality, with officers beating the protesters who were demonstrating against the eviction).Every citizen has the right to a decent home; no one has the right to accumulate houses to speculate with them. This applies to vulture funds, but not only to them. Vulture funds shift the logic of the market towards its most illiberal extremes, where capitalism becomes the dark reverse of liberalism, and in this shift move all the actors that operate in the real estate market. Not long ago we were talking about large holders, a way of referring to companies or individuals with a portfolio of homes that they use to exploit them under the logic of maximum profit. Tourist rentals (to which an enormous number of small owners, many of them, also, left-wing voters, immediately subscribed) is another abuse that must be eradicated. Why? Because it only obeys the right to property and the law of supply and demand, while it attacks the right of people to have a decent home. Because it inflates a price bubble that means that people who should be able to afford it (Maricarmen with her pension, for example) cannot pay for an apartment, not even the apartment where they had lived their whole life.

The signing of mortgages continues its upward trend in Catalonia. During the month of July, 8,858 mortgages on homes were registered in the country, according to the provisional data updated this Monday by the National Statistics Institute (INE). The figure represents a year-on-year increase of 4.9%, and sets a new high for a month of July since 2010, when 9,547 signatures were formalized. It is also a monthly high in recent years, as so many had not been signed since October 2024 (8,910).

The streets are also applying pressure just hours before Pedro Sánchez's government brings the new housing decree-law to the Council of Ministers. Also in Barcelona, where this Monday the Spanish President, Pedro Sánchez, held various events and ended the day at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya at the awards ceremony for La Vanguardia. 2,000 people according to the Guàrdia Urbana and 20,000 according to the organizers gathered on Avinguda Diagonal to demand that the new decree include, among other things, the indefinite extension of rental contracts and the suspension of evictions.

Negotiation in extremis. The Spanish government is finalizing at this hour the preparation of a housing decree-law to be approved this Tuesday at the Council of Ministers. ARA has accessed the draft on which the PSOE and Sumar are working and which they must agree upon with the partners of the plurinational majority so that the legislative package ends up being approved in the Congress of Deputies as well. However, the pact within the left-wing coalition itself is not a done deal at this moment: according to the draft, the Ministry of Housing, led by the PSOE, incorporates the extension of rental contracts until 2028, but not indefinitely as requested by Sumar and the rest of the forces to the left of the socialists, who this Monday formed a common front to adopt the demands of the Tenants' Union. Esquerra, EH Bildu, Podemos, Sumar, Compromís, and the BNG have joined forces. Junts, for its part, considers that the draft of the decree-law "moves away" from a pact that it could sign, but calls for continued talks.

Juan is 72 years old and walks among the tents pitched at Puerta del Sol. He has just taken a photo and shows it: it is the diamond-shaped plaque beneath the sign that gives this Madrid square its name, which was placed by Manuela Carmena's city council in homage to the 15-M movement. "We were sleeping and we woke up," he says. Juan looks at it and recites it out loud, only to then explain that he has two children aged 37 and 39 who only managed to move out three years ago. "We thought that with a progressive government everything was already done, and in reality, nothing was done," he laments. This is a sentiment shared among the protesters who are in Puerta del Solin the state capital: it is palpable in the conversations, on the banners, and in the public statements of the Tenants' Union. Are we facing Pedro Sánchez's 15-M?

And then, our Homeric protagonist, pursued by judges, chased by the opposition and abandoned by his partners, still had the strength to stand up and proclaim: “And I, Maricarmen, have a message for you: the government is working against the clock to bring the royal decree-law on housing on Tuesday, because it is not a question of ideology, it is a question of humanity”.Audiovisuals have long taught us that there is nothing more exciting than an impossible mission hanging on a life-or-death countdown. It is a matter of hours before the decree is signed. The problem is that Maricarmen is not the title of a series, nor are we citizens mere spectators.Contrary to what the Spanish president says, the issue is one of ideology: if it were only a question of humanity, the problem would already be solved. I certainly believe it is a matter of ideology, from the moment that market laws, the right to housing, the right to property, the anxiety over the end of rental contracts for many tenants, and the savings of not a few small holders collide. If not, why does Pedro Sánchez (like anyone else) find it so hard to square the circle? Bound by his investiture agreements with both the right and the left, he now finds that, unlike the biblical advice, whatever he signs with his right hand will end up being known by his left hand.It is sad, because Maricarmen is not the metonymy of a sudden flood or an unexpected pandemic. For decades, housing has eaten up the good intentions of governments of all colors. This Tuesday's decree will, at most, cushion the blow. But without negotiating, yielding, and abandoning demagoguery, Maricarmen will continue to be treated like a series and not like what it is: the problem of our time.

The protests over the housing situation that have sparked an encampment at the Puerta del Sol in Madrid will extend to Barcelona this Monday. The Tenants' Union (Sindicat de Llogateres) has announced a day of mobilizations in the Catalan capital that will begin with a surprise action at 8 in the morning and will be completed with a demonstration in the evening, taking advantage of the visit to Barcelona by the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez. Spokesperson Carme Arcarazo has called to “paralyze” Barcelona.

Maricarmen Abascal in Madrid; Olga, the 54-year-old woman from l'Hospitalet who committed suicide after being evicted... The list is terribly long. Although the total number of judicial evictions is lower than it was a few years ago, it remains a problem, a scourge. And what is most serious is that when a measure has been attempted to be applied, even if temporary –such as the decree to prevent the eviction of vulnerable people–, a group of parties, such as the PP, Vox and Junts, opposed it.

The eviction of Maricarmen Abascal has triggered a wave of indignation that was visible on Wednesday in the streets of Madrid, Barcelona, and various cities across the State, and it was repeated this Saturday in a demonstration in the center of the Spanish capital that ended in an encampment. Under the slogan Not one more Maricarmen, thousands of people gathered at the Puerta del Sol, where the seat of the government of the Community of Madrid is located, to walk to the Madrid City Hall and finish at the Congress of Deputies. In total, 25,000 people took to the streets, according to the Spanish government delegation – 300,000 according to the organizers. The Madrid Tenants' Union ended the demonstration by calling for an encampment at the Puerta del Sol, and tents spread across this square in the center of Madrid throughout the night.

What happened in Madrid with Maricarmen Abascal, evicted at 87 from the apartment where she had lived her whole life and which she had paid for religiously, is unspeakable. Even more dramatic is the suicide of Olga, 54, a mother of two daughters, which took place in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. The housing crisis today marks a precariousness that no longer only affects the most vulnerable, but also the middle class, with the youth collective especially left without options that go beyond family support. The right to housing is a fundamental right, but the harsh reality is that more and more people do not have it guaranteed: when this affects the elderly or children, the problem, as a society, shames us.

Last Wednesday, from New York, Pedro Sánchez described the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal as a "social tragedy" and immediately pledged to push forward the new housing decree that, until now, had been kept in a drawer due to a lack of parliamentary support – the Spanish government was supposed to present the regulation before the summer. The Spanish government is negotiating against the clock with its partners for a new decree so that it can be on the table of the Council of Ministers this very Tuesday. Junts and the PNV on one side and Sumar and Podemos on the other are the ones with the most opposing positions.

The investment fund Blackstone —through its subsidiary Anticipa— has committed to negotiating the social leases it holds in Catalonia on a case-by-case basis. After El matí de Catalunya Ràdio reported this Friday that the company did not intend to renew the 400 contracts of this type it has in the country in order to put the homes up for sale, the fund now says it does not rule out maintaining some social leases. However, the company maintains that once the contracts expire, they will continue offering tenants the possibility of buying the apartments where they live. As of now, about a hundred of them have agreed to the proposal. The remaining cases, however, are being reviewed.

Yesterday, an 87-year-old woman was evicted from her home because she could not afford the rent increase from 500 to 2,750 euros. Since this eviction happened in Madrid, where the loudspeaker resonates louder –also in Catalonia–, this image of this lady, whose name is Maricarmen, has become the symbol of the wreckage that the real estate market is causing in the lives of thousands of people.Between 7,000 and 8,000 evictions take place in Catalonia every year. The vast majority are due to non-payment of rent (approximately 75%). Everything is legal: there is a law, which the judge applies, with the protection of the police. It is legal, but it is neither ethical nor decent. And this is when all eyes turn towards politics, so that it may correct what we call the abuses of the market. But for decades now, the market has been winning over politics. Here and everywhere else. And there is no need for a dramatic eviction like yesterday's to verify its effects: how many young people cannot emancipate themselves from their parents' house because they cannot afford rent –with the consequent effect that this has on their future expectations, of living as a couple, of starting their own family, of having children–? How many families have had to leave their lifelong neighborhood or city because they cannot afford to live there?The remote and immediate causes of the housing crisis have been long debated. You hear from developers and they point out that there are few building plots, you hear from the real estate sector and it says there is a lack of supply, you hear everyone saying that public housing has not been built, you hear from small landlords and they say they do not want to be treated like large holders, like vulture funds and speculators, and having to carry out, out of their own pockets, the housing policies that governments have not implemented. The problem is that the real estate market is eating away at everyone's life. Do you remember the case of that teacher from Mallorca who worked in Ibiza and every day took a plane to go teach classes in Ibiza because it was more cost-effective to take a plane than to pay rent? Well, that's it.The effects on collective morale, the loss of trust in democracy, and the increase in lack of solidarity are enormous. Here and everywhere. If there is a globalized problem, it is housing. In this context, yesterday Pedro Sánchez took a photo with the mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, which he finished with the following phrase: “The powerful fear us”. It is the type of statement that should be made with actions rather than words, especially when the facts contradict you. A bad day to say “The powerful fear us”, because it is not true. The image of Maricarmen from yesterday is one of great social violence.Yes, politics has its codes, and international alliances are highly sought after, the photo with Mamdani is sought after, but the housing problem surpasses them all, even the political leaders with the greatest social conscience.Good morning

The eviction of Maricarmen, an 87-year-old neighbor from Madrid who uses a wheelchair, has been the catalyst for a wave of protests across the country. Hundreds of people have taken to the streets in eleven cities to show their unrest and fed-up attitude regarding the lack of housing policies that protect cases like this woman's. In Barcelona, about 1,200 people, according to data from the Guàrdia Urbana, gathered in front of the Spanish government delegation to demand urgent solutions and send a message of solidarity to Maricarmen: "You are not alone!".

The eviction of Maricarmen, an 87-year-old resident of Madrid who uses a wheelchair, was carried out this Wednesday in the fourth attempt to force her out of her home. Although hundreds of neighbors and members of the Tenants' Union of the Spanish capital had gathered and installed themselves outside the building since Tuesday afternoon, the riot police of the National Police executed the eviction order, which led to moments of great tension: the Union reported the use of "violence" by the police, with blows to the heads of protesters, as well as the use of pepper spray. The property owner, the investment fund Urbagestión Desarrollo e Inversión S.L., proposed a rent increase to 1,650 euros, which Maricarmen could not afford: she has a pension of 1,350 euros and until now was paying 500 euros in rent, because she had an old rent contract. Despite attempts at negotiation, the fund refused to budge. Now the resident does not know where she will go and, for the moment, the Madrid City Council has assured that it has an "emergency spot" in a nursing home. "It is a social tragedy," stated the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, in a press conference from New York, who directly pointed to the Madrid City Council and the Community of Madrid as responsible for not having prevented this eviction.

The European Commission has acknowledged that the housing crisis is a European priority and, as a first step to address it, announced last week the proposal for the affordable housing act, the European law on affordable housing, the details of which you can read in the chronicle by Núria Sala Ventura for this newspaper. It is not that there has been a move towards Bolivarianism in Brussels. But they have indeed become aware that the fact that a million Europeans have no home to live in, while 20% of the available housing stock within the European Union is empty, is an urgent situation. The purchase price of a home in community countries has risen, in the last ten years, by more than 60%, and rental prices, by 20%. In addition to being an urgent situation, it is an unsustainable, unjust... and illegal situation: the right to decent housing is a basic social right (in the Spanish state it is a constitutional right) that is often violated, or denied, by market impositions. This European housing law –promoted by former minister Teresa Ribera, now Vice President of the Commission, and by the Commissioner for Housing, Dan Jorgensen– aims precisely at what has been said so many times was not advisable (and according to some, not even possible), and which reality now shows is necessary: to intervene in the market, to set limits and caps to prevent it from falling into speculative inertia.That is why the law proposes measures such as legal limitations on the purchase of second homes or non-habitual residences in those regions classified as stressed areas. Also, imposing penalties on owners who keep apartments or houses empty, to force them onto the market. The new proposed law insists, mind you, on boosting the construction of new housing to ease the market (although it is true that it speaks of promoting operators different from the traditional ones, such as cooperatives or non-profit entities, instead of the usual large construction companies). More interesting in this sense are advances like the ZAN law (zero artificialisation nette), from France, which proposes not to build a single more square meter of rustic land and to work, instead, on the rehabilitation, reuse, and transformation of everything that has already been built.The European proposal aligns well with the ban on tourist apartments by the Barcelona City Council, or with the penalties for having vacant flats in force in Catalonia for four years. In the Balearic Islands, on the other hand, the spokesperson for the PP parliamentary group in the Parliament, Sebastià Sagreras, has declared that “he cannot fathom” that a Majorcan “cannot buy a second residence in another municipality.” Not many things fit inside the spokesperson's head (the PISA report leaves the Balearic Islands at the tail end of the Spanish state, which in turn is at the tail end of Europe in educational matters, and this is also noticeable in the government officials). What won't he say when he finds out that the majority of Majorcans cannot even think about buying a first home in any municipality.