Spain approves emergency measures to address housing crisis

Mass protests in Barcelona, Spain, against the housing crisis and high living costs ended with clashes between radical groups and police, stones thrown at law enforcement officers and rubbish containers set on fire.

Operative Information Center-OMM reports that, following the incidents, the government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez brought previously rejected housing reforms into force through an emergency decree.

Amid the political crisis, the head of government announced that an early parliamentary election would be held in the country on November 29.

The new decree, announced by Spain’s Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez, provides for suspending evictions of socially vulnerable citizens until 2030, regulating room rental prices and introducing new taxes on seasonal rental contracts. The package also includes a ban on property purchases and sales for speculative purposes and tax incentives for landlords.

Although the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy has recorded overall growth, housing shortages and sharp price increases have fuelled public discontent. Protesters are calling on the government to strengthen protections for tenants and completely prohibit evictions unless alternative accommodation is provided.