President to announce new housing measures calling for public-private partnership

The Catalan president, Salvador Illa, will announce new housing measures during Parliament's general policy debate on Tuesday.

These policies will involve "immediate action," presidency minister Albert Dalmau said on Monday morning.

In an interview with public broadcaster Catalunya Ràdio, Dalmau said that the new measures will focus on public-private partnerships.

"Public authorities need to take an important role in social housing, but we must also create more free-market housing," Dalmau said.

The general policy debate will start on Tuesday afternoon with a speech by the Catalan president, Salvador Illa, before the opposition parties respond.

According to Dalmau, the debate will serve to "assess the current state of the country and set our priorities."

The government's parliamentary stability is "solid," and Catalonia is "in a better position than a year ago," he added.

Illa will "listen to everyone" 

On the eve of the general policy debate, President Salvador Illa promised to "listen to everyone" on housing policy.

"I'm willing to listen to everyone, to various groups, to their ideas and proposals. But I won't wave a magic wand or sell pipe dreams," Illa said on Monday during an event on housing challenges and solutions organized by Spanish digital news outlet elDiario.es.

"This is not a problem that will be solved in a year, nor is it one unique to Catalonia or Spain. It takes time to see results," Illa said.

The president identified access to housing as the main driver of inequality and said the answer lies in one thing: "Build, build, and build."

Budget

Regarding the 2026 budget, presidency minister Albert Dalmau explained that they are still in the internal drafting phase and that negotiations have not yet begun with likely partners, Esquerra Republicana (ERC) or Comuns.

He pointed out that when Illa was leader of the opposition, he supported the budgets of ERC president Pere Aragonès, and he called on all parliamentary groups to show a willingness to reach agreements.

"The world is complicated enough, and despite everything, Catalonia and Spain are growing. We don't need to make things harder for ourselves," Dalmau said.