The PSC-Comuns agreement against seasonal rentals in Barcelona falls apart.

BarcelonaThe relationship between Barcelona en Comú and Esquerra Republicana (ERC) in Barcelona City Council has long been strained. However, in recent months, disagreements between the two parties have jeopardized several key housing initiatives. The latest occurred this past Tuesday. The agreement between Comuns and Jaume Collboni's administration to combat seasonal rentals in the Catalan capital will reach the plenary session with the Urban Planning Commission voting against it, after ERC voted against the measure. If the municipal government and BComú fail to persuade the Republicans before the 30th, the project will fail.

The measure being voted on in committee this Tuesday stems from the pact between the PSC and Barcelona en Comú to pass the 2025 tax ordinances. At that time, both groups agreed to modify the Metropolitan General Plan (PGM) to establish that the habitual and permanent use of housing is the "priority" in the city. A new legal framework should allow the City Council to develop a special plan to regulate seasonal rentals in a second phase. What was voted on this Tuesday in committee was that first part: the legal framework.

The First Deputy Mayor for Urban Planning, Laia Bonet, defended the measure as a "first instrument to regulate seasonal rentals in the city." During her speech, she recalled that this type of offering "has become a way to circumvent the price cap" and defended the need to address "this unacceptable fraud." "We cannot allow homes that could be used for long-term rentals to remain outside the residential market," she said.

From Barcelona en Comú, Councilor Lucía Martín defended the importance of moving forward with this regulation and lamented that a year has passed before the municipal government has brought this provisional approval to the plenary session. However, she argued that the report commissioned by the municipal executive supports "the legal certainty of the measure," and asked the other groups for their support. She was unsuccessful. Moments later, ERC announced its opposition.

The Republicans, who have always defended the importance of regulating seasonal rentals, voted against the measure. Councilor Eva Baró justified their decision by arguing that the municipal regulations "have completely lost their meaning" because the Catalan Parliament's law regulating this phenomenon has been in effect this year. "It is no longer necessary to explore somewhat outlandish, much less robust, solutions," she said, and argued that "all efforts" should be focused on implementing the Parliament's law in the "fastest and most precise" way. The PP and Vox also voted against the measure.

A previous wound

Underlying what happened in the Urban Planning Commission is a rift that has been festering for months between Esquerra Republicana (ERC) and Barcelona en Comú. The Republicans saw their agreement with the PSC (Socialist Party of Catalonia) to create a study commission against speculative property purchases, which was to be chaired by ERC's leader in the City Council, Elisenda Alamany, rejected in the December plenary session. Its creation had already been withdrawn. in extremis The item was dropped from the agenda of the November plenary session because it did not have sufficient guaranteed support.

The Comuns argued that they voted against it, claiming that a study commission was a "waste of time" and that immediate regulation was necessary. Today, the Republicans rejected their agreement with the Collboni government to try to limit seasonal rentals in the city. There is a possibility that next week's plenary session will vote again on the creation of the study commission that ERC wanted. If it is approved, the PSC-Comuns agreement to regulate seasonal rentals may have a new opportunity.