Catalonia now has double the forests it had in the 1950s – the forest area has gone from 35% of the territory to almost 65% – and the fires of recent weeks — the last one this Friday in Collserola — and a legislative plot twist have strongly reopened a debate that already existed in the sector: on whom should the responsibility fall – and in whose name should the bill go – for maintenance? Currently, only 30% of forests are managed, meaning that active work is being done on them, such as logging, undergrowth clearing, or new plantings. In this context, a small change in a discreet article has revolutionized the sector. As the ARA explained a few months ago, Royal Decree-Law 21/2025, which obliged owners to maintain the land in condition and empowered the administration to do so at a cost – meaning, passing the bill to the owner – mutated during the parliamentary process and went from "obliging" to simply requesting "collaboration." A direct request from the forestry sector.

The Association of Rental Property Owners (Asval) announced on Tuesday the creation of a permanent commission in Catalonia. During the presentation, Asval asserted that they need greater legal certainty and a more ""Clear, stable, and predictable." In fact, the association's new delegate in Catalonia, Carlos Muñoz, has asserted that this lack of legal certainty is what, in many cases, leads to "conflict" between landlords and tenants. "Landlords and tenants share a common interest: that the system works," Muñoz affirmed. "Without landlords, there is no supply; without tenants, there is no one to request housing."

The housing crisis—which isn't unique to us—is so acute and so present in the consciousness and lived experience of Catalans that there's no doubt it will be resolved, since, paradoxically, it's a very solvable problem. The challenge is to ensure the availability of decent housing for a population that continues to grow, but not indefinitely. It's also about providing for the visitors and temporary residents that a dynamic economy demands, while avoiding a disproportionate number of empty homes. It can be done.