Salvador Illa survives parliamentary reprobation as Catalan assembly rejects €100M housing plan
Catalan President Salvador Illa survived an opposition censure attempt with 68 votes on Thursday, though parliamentary allies rejected his €100 million shared-ownership housing initiative.
Reprobation bid defeated
The Parliament of Catalonia rejected a resolution by Junts per Catalunya to reprove President Salvador Illa on Thursday during the final session of the General Policy Debate. Illa survived the censure motion after the investiture bloc formed by the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC), Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC), and Comuns united to produce an absolute majority of 68 votes against the text. Junts received backing from the People's Party (PP), Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP), and Aliança Catalana (AC), while Vox abstained.
Junts parliamentary leader Mònica Sales justified the initiative by criticising the executive's governance across education, infrastructure, and public safety, arguing that the administration had subordinated regional priorities to the central government.
- Salvador Illa presents housing funds and shared ownership proposals during opening speech
- Junts parliamentary leader Mònica Sales announces reprobation offensive against Illa
- Parliament rejects Illa reprobation with 68 votes and votes down shared housing plan
Defeat on shared housing plan
Despite backing the president against formal reprimand, Comuns broke with the executive during the vote on Illa's flagship housing initiative, leading to its defeat. The proposal envisioned a 100 million euro program where the Generalitat would co-purchase homes with citizens aged 40 to 60 facing difficulties obtaining mortgages. Under the Catalan Civil Code framework, the administration would retain 50% ownership while the resident secured occupancy rights for 50 years, with inheritance rights and government preemption options on resale.
Only PSC and ERC supported the shared-ownership resolution. Comuns abstained, while Junts, PP, Vox, CUP, and AC voted against the measure. The rejection mirrors events from the previous year, when parliament voted down Illa's initiative to build 214,000 homes.
- Shared-ownership purchase fund
- 100 €M
- Vulnerable eviction emergency fund
- 25 €M
Housing disputes and fiscal proposals
The housing division between PSC and Comuns extended into disputes over existing agreements, including the establishment of an anti-eviction office. Comuns spokesperson David Cid warned from the podium that the group would withhold further backing for government housing initiatives if existing commitments remained unfulfilled.
Focus your gaze on the Catalonia of today and not that of 2030. And in the meantime, what?
PSC opposed immediate demands regarding the anti-eviction office, with government sources maintaining that the unit had already been tendered and spokesperson Sílvia Paneque projecting operations by late 2026 or early 2027. Lawmakers did approve a separate 25 million euro emergency fund to assist vulnerable individuals facing eviction risk. The chamber also passed a joint PSC-ERC measure establishing an expert panel to submit housing and property transfer tax (ITP) reform proposals within three months.
Cabinet censures and parliamentary mandates
The assembly passed a separate section of the Junts resolution rebuking the minority government for failing to fulfill prior parliamentary mandates. ERC abstained on this provision, enabling a majority comprising Junts, PP, Vox, and CUP to pass the rebuke, while Aliança Catalana also abstained.
The approved text specifically targeted unfulfilled motions requesting the dismissals of Territory Minister Sílvia Paneque, Interior Minister Núria Parlon, and Education Minister Esther Niubó. In addition, parliament approved an initiative from Junts supported by PSC urging the Spanish government to suspend evictions tied to bank and investment fund debts, alongside a proposal recognizing public authority status for teachers.
