Government approves 2,000 new residence halls for 45 million

The Spanish government approved a Royal Decree on Tuesday allocating an additional 180 million euros to municipalities designated as areas with tense housing markets. Housing Minister Isabel Rodriguez announced during a press conference following the Council of Ministers meeting that these funds will be distributed proportionally among 317 towns across five autonomous communities. The measure aims to secure access to housing for approximately 9.3 million residents living in these specific zones. The allocation represents the first time the central administration has exclusively distributed funds to territories that have formally declared their housing markets under stress, a mechanism enabled by Article 18 of the national housing law. Rodriguez stated that recognizing a market as tense identifies a problem requiring immediate solutions rather than a positive status. She explained that the law allows the government to mobilize extraordinary resources to address the housing crisis where such declarations exist. The funds must be directed toward promoting or rehabiting affordable or social rental homes, acquiring land for new residential construction, or implementing emergency residential solutions promoted by public administrations. Additionally, the money can be used for developing and urbanizing land for residential use, purchasing existing homes to expand the public affordable housing stock, or covering rent defaults. Catalonia will receive the largest share of the funding, amounting to 119.4 million euros, which will be spread across 271 municipalities. The Basque Country follows with 31 million euros allocated to 18 municipalities. Navarre will receive 13.3 million euros for its 21 affected towns. Galicia will obtain 10.2 million euros, specifically for the cities of A Coruna and Santiago de Compostela, while Asturias will receive 5.9 million euros for five municipalities. In Galicia, the application of tense market measures is limited to those two cities because the regional government disagrees with the utility of the measure, similar to other regions governed by the Popular Party. In Asturias, the restrictions apply to specific neighborhoods within the five affected municipalities. The distribution is based on population size and the effort made by local authorities. Simultaneously, the Council of Ministers approved a separate decree providing 45 million euros in direct grants to boost affordable university accommodations. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced this package on Monday, stating that it would create 2,000 new residence spots in a first phase. Sanchez emphasized that universities are not immune to housing problems and noted that when students cannot afford to live near where they study, the institution ceases to be an engine of prosperity and equality. He described the university as the greatest social elevator in Spain and argued that protecting and financing it is essential for its mission. The 45 million euros will fund projects at seven universities across six autonomous communities that have viable plans for short-term implementation. The University Autonomous of Madrid will receive 13.36 million euros. The University of Castile-La Mancha campus in Albacete will get 8.19 million euros. The Pablo de Olavide University in Seville will receive 6.5 million euros. Discrepancies exist regarding the fourth recipient; one report identifies the University of Burgos receiving 5.94 million euros, while another cites the Jaume I University of Castellon receiving 5.9 million euros. Another account states the Jaume I University receives 4.45 million euros. The University of Jaen will receive either 3.5 million or 3.56 million euros depending on the source, and the City Council of Lleida will receive 2.9 million or 2.97 million euros. The goal is to increase residential supply for students, teaching staff, and researchers, facilitate academic mobility, and reduce pressure on rental markets in university cities. In addition to the housing funds, the Council approved a new Statute for University Students, updating the previous statute from 2010, which was inherited from the Franco dictatorship era. This new framework was agreed upon with the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities, the State Council of University Students, and the Coordination of Public University Representatives. The statute facilitates compatibility between studies and work, explicitly recognizes the right to academic strikes, both total and partial, and improves guarantees for external academic practices and domestic and international mobility. It also strengthens support for students with disabilities or specific educational needs. A key novelty in the statute requires all universities, public and private, to provide psychological support to students and establish specific units and protocols for preventing and intervening in suicidal behavior. Sanchez highlighted that not all students arrive at university under the same conditions, noting that some work after classes, others balance exams with caring for children or parents, and others face harassment. He argued that all deserve a university that understands, accompanies, and protects them. The statute also protects student data, ensures digital disconnection rights, improves tutoring systems, and defends academic integrity. The aim is to care for student mental health in coordination with public services in each autonomous community. The declaration of tense markets applies to areas where families spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing or where home prices have risen above inflation in recent years. Regional governments are responsible for declaring these zones. Only five autonomous communities have taken this step: Catalonia, the Basque Country, Navarre, Galicia, and Asturias. The remaining regions will not receive these specific funds. The law mandates that the declaration of a tense market must be accompanied by an action plan to increase affordable housing supply and reverse residential stress. The Ministry of Housing is competent over this plan and can adopt specific financial measures to favor containment or reduction of rental or sale prices in those territories.