Barcelona, Spain – The Association of Real Estate Agents of Catalonia (AIC) and the Official College of Real Estate Agents (COAPI) of Barcelona expressed their disappointment today over the prioritization of political interests by parties instead of finding a solution to the housing crisis in the region.
During the annual Evolution event held at the Hyatt Regency Tower Hotel in Barcelona, Montserrat Junyent, President of AIC and COAPI, emphasized that “housing cannot be used as an ideological tool” and lamented that political parties “are not able to come to an agreement on such a serious economic and social issue as housing, as seen with the recent rejection of Illa’s proposal by the Parliament to mobilize land and build 210,000 new homes.”
The event, which focused on identifying the key factors to overcome the challenges in the real estate market, was attended by top officials from the public sector including Josep Rull, President of the Parliament of Catalonia; Sílvia Paneque, spokesperson for the Catalan Government and Minister of Territory, Housing, and Ecological Transition; Francisco David Lucas, Secretary of State for Housing and Urban Agenda; and Joan Ramon Riera, Commissioner for Housing at the Barcelona City Council.
Junyent also warned that “without active involvement from political parties and the business sector, it will be difficult to find lasting solutions” to the housing crisis.
In his remarks, Josep Rull stated, “In the past, the culture of effort offered perspectives and opportunities for people to improve their lives through hard work and dedication. Today, however, the obstacle of accessing housing has become an insurmountable barrier. We must overcome this difficulty and create the conditions that allow young people to move forward with hope.”
Sílvia Paneque shared some statistics, saying that “housing is an issue that affects 90% of Catalans and therefore we must work together. In the 50,000 homes plan, more than 200 municipalities have made land available. Already, more than 22,000 homes have been planned, with 14,000 already having a developer and 7,000 in different stages of production.”
From the national perspective, Francisco David Lucas highlighted the government’s significant investment of 7 billion euros over the next five years, up from 1.7 billion in the previous plan. He emphasized three main aspects: “assistance for groups with the most difficulty accessing the market, building rehabilitation, and the promotion of new homes throughout Spain.”
The Evolution event was not distributed by any specific platform.