Raquel Sánchez, Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, at the Ministry.Álvaro García
The Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez Jiménez (Gavà, Barcelona, 45 years old), defends the housing law that the Council of Ministers has approved this week and trusts its approval in Congress with the majority of investiture absent in labor reform.
Ask.
Why has the housing law taken so long?
Answer.
The most difficult thing was to reflect in the law the tools to control the rental price.
A fair balance had to be struck between the two interests, the right to decent housing and the right to property, set forth in the Constitution.
This debate has brought us to a balanced point, with guarantees for those who want access to a home but also with legal certainty for the owners.
Q.
Housing is rising strongly again after the crisis.
How is this law going to affect someone who lives in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia or Bilbao and cannot pay the rents they find?
R.
On the one hand, we are going to shield the public housing stock, so that it cannot be sold, as happened with the policies applied by the PP, which sold a very scarce asset, public housing.
That has complicated access.
Protected housing has permanent qualification.
And then, the state plan is going to greatly increase the public housing stock.
And there are tools to contain abusive rent increases.
In addition, to 90% of the owners, who are the small ones, we make them attractive with tax benefits to rent at an affordable price.
Q.
Has the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) exceeded its opinion on the law on issues that had not been consulted?
R.
The organic law of the Judiciary establishes what issues the CGPJ has to rule on.
This law modifies three articles of the civil procedure law and it had to be limited to that.
Q.
Have you prevaricated?
R.
I am not going to put qualifications.
We have read the reviews carefully.
But the report is mandatory to request it only for that modification of the civil procedure law.
We have introduced some modification in matters that can improve the legislative technique, but in substance we have not changed anything.
P.
Some members of the CGPJ said that this law goes against private property.
Do they oppose you from the CGPJ?
R.
There is a different understanding of what private property is and a very limited reading of the powers that the State has.
We have already regulated in other matters the competences of the communities and it has not been discussed, such as the dependency law.
P.
Several presidents of the PP say that they are not going to apply the law.
What do you plan to do?
R.
Let's hope they rectify.
The PP has already accustomed us to reactions of this type.
The right has always been reactionary in Spain to all laws that represent social advances.
Abortion, same-sex marriage, euthanasia.
But then add to the progress.
This law is not against anyone.
P.
Will a very unequal country remain if some apply it and others do not?
R.
Well, the law has more things, such as the protection of the housing stock, which everyone has to apply.
And those parks will be expanded.
What is the PP's housing policy, selling the public housing stock?
Q.
Will the price drop with the law?
R.
We hope that this is the case or at least that it is at a level that for all citizens does not suppose a drama or that they have to allocate more than 40% of their income to pay it.
Q.
Can something similar to the labor reform happen with the housing law?
A.
I hope we don't get to that point.
A shell game by some members of Congress ensued.
I trust in the responsibility of the political parties.
Q.
What image does Spanish politics give?
R.
It is not for all politicians, it is for some politicians.
You cannot cheat, anticipate a vote based on a negotiation and then change.
That does a lot of damage to politics.
Not all politicians are like that.
P.
The PP speaks of "ribbling."
R.
It is a human error that has happened other times, not a rigging.
The important thing is that it was approved.
Sometimes when cheating is done, human errors do not accompany.
As much as the PP says, it is clear that there was a mistake and a behavior of two UPN deputies more similar to a tamayo than to a rigging.
Q.
Is most of the investiture cracking?
R.
Some parties that say they are left-wing must explain their no to a reform that improves the lives of workers.
But we will continue looking for support.
We trust that the housing law can be approved with the majority of investiture.
P.
If the dialogue table fails, will there be a return to the
procés
?
R.
Not on our part, we continue betting on dialogue.
P.
Will the President of the Government be tempted to advance the elections after what has happened in Portugal?
A.
No, no, no.
We are in the development of the recovery plan.
Nothing and no one is going to make us deviate from our goals.
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