The Tenants Union has called a demonstration for 19:00 on Monday 28 September outside the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya in Barcelona's Zona Universitària, coinciding with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's planned visit to the venue for the Premis Vanguardia 2026 awards.

People travelling through Zona Universitària on Monday evening may find a protest outside the congress centre. The union is using the rally to press the Spanish government to include open-ended rental contracts in a housing decree due to go before the Council of Ministers on Tuesday.

"Any decree that does not include this will be a farce," Enric Aragonès, the Tenants Union spokesperson, said of the demand for indefinite rental contracts.

According to Nació's reporting, the union also called a gathering for Sunday afternoon outside 69 Entença Street, in Eixample. Aragonès said Rosario is the only remaining resident in the building and claimed that the other flats have been converted into co-living accommodation.

Decree is due before ministers on Tuesday

Sánchez said on Sunday that his government was working "against the clock" to bring a royal decree-law on housing to the Council of Ministers on Tuesday 29 September. He said the government would also seek to extend until the end of 2026 the existing social-protection measures introduced during the war in Ukraine.

For tenants facing eviction, an extension of those measures would keep the current protections in place until year-end if ministers approve it. A royal decree-law takes effect immediately after approval by the executive, but must then be ratified by the Congress of Deputies within one month, according to reporting on the proposed measure.

The planned decree follows the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from the Madrid flat where she had lived for 70 years. Sánchez said the proposed measure would have prevented her eviction, while the Tenants Union has said delaying evictions for some vulnerable households alone would not meet its demands.

Where and when

  • Barcelona protest: 19:00 on Monday 28 September.
  • Location: outside the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya, Zona Universitària.
  • Government meeting: the Council of Ministers is due to consider the housing decree on Tuesday 29 September.

Primary sources: repositori.upf.edu, lamoncloa.gob.es. Reported by naciodigital.cat, en.ara.cat, euronews.com, elconstitucional.es, democrata.es, russpain.com.