Mari Carmen was not just a statistic, she was Spanish.
Spain's Government pushed its housing law through as an emergency decree-law after seven and a half years without introducing it as ordinary legislation. An analysis of a delay that came too late.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Pedro Sánchez's Government has resorted to an emergency decree-law to regulate housing after seven and a half years without bringing an ordinary bill before Congress. The measure arrives when evictions had already left victims who received no help in time.
**Pedro Sánchez**'s Government has closed its chapter on housing with an urgent decree-law. Not with a law. The difference is no small matter: a decree-law is approved by the Council of Ministers and later validated by Congress, whereas an ordinary bill goes through the full parliamentary process, with amendments, committee reports and hearings. The Government had **seven and a half years** to choose the second route. It chose the first.
## Seven and a half years without a housing law
In that time, other laws did trinc the full parliamentary route, such as the **only yes means yes** law. Housing, by contrast, was left on the back burner. The result is that the problem was nothing new: evictions had been happening for years, and those who suffered them had no legal framework to protect them before the situation worsened.
There is one fact that should not be overlooked: among those affected by evictions there are not only people who lose their homes. There are also those who have taken their own lives. Those victims have not received the same public attention as others.
## The decree-law as a belated response
The urgency of the decree-law contrasts with the earlier slowness. If the problem has existed for years, the question is why it was not processed directly as a law. A decree-law for a structural issue conveys the sense of acting when there is no margin left, not when it could have been prevented.
The politicisation of these deaths, in any case, is not exclusive to one political colour. But it is worth remembering that evicted people needed help long ago, not only when the issue hit the headlines.
## Victims who never make the front page
There has been no Government for housing. There has been a decree-law for a single day. That is the distance between managing a problem and managing its headline.
If this issue affects your legal or financial situation, it is advisable to consult a professional before making decisions.
**Pedro Sánchez**'s Government has closed its chapter on housing with an urgent decree-law. Not with a law. The difference is no small matter: a decree-law is approved by the Council of Ministers and later validated by Congress, whereas an ordinary bill goes through the full parliamentary process, with amendments, committee reports and hearings. The Government had **seven and a half years** to choose the second route. It chose the first.
## Seven and a half years without a housing law
In that time, other laws did trinc the full parliamentary route, such as the **only yes means yes** law. Housing, by contrast, was left on the back burner. The result is that the problem was nothing new: evictions had been happening for years, and those who suffered them had no legal framework to protect them before the situation worsened.
There is one fact that should not be overlooked: among those affected by evictions there are not only people who lose their homes. There are also those who have taken their own lives. Those victims have not received the same public attention as others.
## The decree-law as a belated response
The urgency of the decree-law contrasts with the earlier slowness. If the problem has existed for years, the question is why it was not processed directly as a law. A decree-law for a structural issue conveys the sense of acting when there is no margin left, not when it could have been prevented.
The politicisation of these deaths, in any case, is not exclusive to one political colour. But it is worth remembering that evicted people needed help long ago, not only when the issue hit the headlines.
## Victims who never make the front page
There has been no Government for housing. There has been a decree-law for a single day. That is the distance between managing a problem and managing its headline.
If this issue affects your legal or financial situation, it is advisable to consult a professional before making decisions.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (1 replies).
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