Spain’s coalition government is negotiating with the Catalan party Junts over a proposed emergency housing decree as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s administration seeks enough parliamentary support to move the legislation forward.

The negotiations intensified on September 25 after Junts presented a series of housing proposals that it wants incorporated into the government’s planned decree. The government has indicated that it is willing to consider some of those demands as it works toward approving the measure in the Council of Ministers.

The proposed legislation is focused on housing affordability and protections for vulnerable tenants. Among the measures put forward by Junts are restrictions on evictions in certain cases where properties are owned by investment funds and limits on purchases of residential properties by large investment funds.

Junts spokesperson Míriam Nogueras said the party wanted negotiations to focus on finding a minimum common position that could receive parliamentary support. She also indicated that Junts would not support measures it considers legally unworkable.

The government’s position is that there is room for an agreement. Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun, speaking on behalf of the Sumar political space within the coalition, said negotiations with Junts had resumed and that the government believed an agreement was possible.

The negotiations are politically significant because Sánchez’s government does not have an outright parliamentary majority and therefore needs support from other parties to pass important legislation.

Junts previously announced a political break with the central government, but the two sides have now returned to negotiations over the housing package. The renewed discussions demonstrate how individual pieces of legislation can require separate negotiations between the government and parliamentary groups.

Housing has become one of the most prominent domestic political issues in Spain. Rising housing costs, limited availability in some cities and disputes over evictions have generated pressure on national and regional authorities to introduce additional measures.

The immediate political focus has also been influenced by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid. The case has prompted renewed debate about protections for vulnerable residents and the government’s housing policy. Sumar has called for stronger intervention and has urged the government to include additional protections in the forthcoming decree.

Junts has proposed several financial measures as part of its negotiating position, including tax deductions related to rent, home purchases and savings accounts. The party has also called for restrictions on certain property acquisitions by investment funds and protections against evictions involving vulnerable households where the property owner is an investment fund.

However, the negotiations involve more than the government’s coalition partners. Podemos is also being approached for potential parliamentary support, while other parties are assessing the proposed measures before deciding how they will respond.

The government is expected to discuss the housing decree at an upcoming Council of Ministers meeting. Approval by the cabinet would not automatically make the legislation permanent, because a royal decree-law must subsequently receive parliamentary validation.

This means the government must consider both the content of the proposed measures and whether enough lawmakers will support them in Congress.

The negotiations also highlight the broader relationship between Sánchez’s administration and Junts. Although the two parties have disagreed on several issues, Junts’ parliamentary representation means its position can be important when the government attempts to pass legislation without a stable majority.

For Junts, the housing negotiations provide an opportunity to seek changes to national housing policy while maintaining its own political demands. The government, meanwhile, is seeking a workable package that can pass through Parliament.

The final text could therefore change during the negotiations. Government officials have indicated that some Junts proposals are being considered, while other political groups continue to press for their own amendments.

As discussions continue, Spain’s housing debate is likely to remain closely connected to parliamentary negotiations. The outcome will depend on the final contents of the decree and the positions taken by the different parties when it reaches Congress.