Catalonia's PP Wins a Major Battle Against Squatting

PP has achieved a significant step with the approval of the motion against squatters in Catalonia's Parliament. The motion urges the State Government to support ongoing legal reforms to evict squatters within 24 hours. PSC's affirmative vote will facilitate the unblocking of the law promoted by PP in Congress, which the PSOE-presided Board has kept stalled for a year.

PP's triumph goes further for several reasons. First, it manages to attract PSC to its territory in a week where they have voted on several ideological laws and motions with the woke left. Also, they manage to impose an approach to squatting that had previously been discredited in Catalonia.

For years, the pro-independence governments supported by the far left had legitimized and whitewashed squatting. The ruling party now supports a motion that demands firmness against illegal squatting. It lays the groundwork for the establishment of an anti-squatting office that offers legal security to owners and small landlords.

From Badalona to Parliament

Squatting increased alarmingly in recent years in Catalonia, representing 42% of the entire State. Therefore, Parliament will ask the Government to urgently unblock legal reforms in Congress to expedite evictions. This will be possible thanks to the motion presented by PP, and supported by PSC, Junts, Vox, and Aliança Catalana.

It is a very important step for PP, which based its electoral program on security and especially on the squatting problem. The popular party consolidates its position, bolstered from Badalona by Xavier García Albiol's anti-squatting offensive.

PP's motion calls for a tough stance to solve this problem and insists on the idea that all squatting is criminal. It also requests strengthening support for affected neighbors and owners. Finally, it contemplates the creation of a specific coordination service between the Generalitat and local entities to address squatting.

PSC and Junts in Favor

Junts has joined PP's motion with a very harsh speech against squatting. "With their passivity and naivety, the left has allowed squatting and defenseless small owners to endure endless processes to recover their properties," they stated. It should be noted that Junts also promoted a legal reform in Congress for express evictions.

PSC also supported the motion, although insisting on differentiating between criminal squatting and squatting out of necessity. The motion also calls for strengthening social protection for vulnerable families. A point where ERC and Comuns voted in favor, but not CUP.

The Left and Alarm Companies

ERC, Comuns, and CUP voted against the proposal, arguing that the problem in Catalonia is access to housing. They claim that most squatting occurs in empty apartments and those owned by large landlords. They argue that the right is deceitful when it tries to equate small owners with large landlords.

In this line, both ERC, Comuns, and CUP have insisted on the same idea. They accuse PP and the far right of scaring people to benefit alarm companies.