Housing? PS denounces “intransigence”, Enough and AD repudiate socialists

Ameetings of Thursday between the Government and the main opposition parties – the Socialist Party (PS) and the Aquida – proved to have been fruitless. The Secretary-General of the Socialists, José Luís Carneiro, accused the Executive of Luís Montenegro of “intransigence” in housing matters, while the president of the Aquira, André Ventura, considered that the socialists were partly responsible for the current crisis, having called for the intervention of the President of the Republic, António José Seguro. The parliamentary leaders of AD did not let themselves stay, and fired that the PS proved to be in “absolute denial of reality”. After all, what was said?

After a meeting of one hour and 45 minutes, the secretary-general of the PS pointed out that it was not possible to reach agreement with the government on the possibility of building “from scratch” a new rental law, nor on the concept of moderate income, since they have “a very different view of how we should respond to housing needs”.

“ We will not be able to give our consent to a legislative authorisation with the will to establish a law outside our fundamental values. [...] I regret that it was not possible to reach an agreement on what was essential to answer the fundamental questions of young people, families and also the security that is established for the future in relation to the vision on housing. I regret, moreover, the intransigence of the Prime Minister himself and the Government as to the possibility of starting to build a new process, a process from scratch,” he said.

The leader of the PS referred to the ongoing changes to the urban lease regime, made through a proposal for legislative authorization by the Government, already approved in general on 30 September with votes in favour of the PSD/CDS-PP majority, IL and the abstention of the Aquida, after signing an agreement between PSD and Enough for changes in the specialty (phase that has not yet started).

Carneiro explained that, since the PS's proposal to form a joint team to build a new rent law was rejected and there was disagreement in the two matters considered essential for the socialists, no new meetings were scheduled.

“There was also a manifestation of unavailability to drop the so-called moderate income of 2,300 euros. It was another condition that we had placed since the first hour, with all transparency ", he said.

The Secretary-General of the PS admitted that there were approximations in tax proposals in the area of housing, which will be taken to the speciality phase of the State Budget, and left a guarantee to the Government: “Our contribution to political stability in the country is not at stake, but it is clear that here we have a very different view of how housing needs should be met.”

In the perspective of José Luís Carneiro, the PS defends “a progressive approach”, while the Government has “a more liberal view, which aims to disrupt the rental market”. Among the tax matters in which he said there had been openness, Carneiro highlighted the exemption from capital gains for those who dispose of their housing assets, as well as the mobilization of the housing and urban rehabilitation Institute (IHRU) buildings to the municipal councils, with the financial support of the State.

However, Carneiro insisted that “there really was an intransigence in what was most essential.” “There is one thing you cannot ask the Secretary-General of the PS: it is that you do not conduct your political action on the basis of the values and principles of the dignity of people, of social justice, of the prosperity that must mark our political path,” he said.

“It takes a lot of can and a lot of shame”

The president of Cávez, in turn, considered that the PS has to participate in the construction of housing solutions, for being one of the responsible for the crisis, and called for the intervention of the President of the Republic, António José Seguro.

“ It seems to me quite unacceptable that one of the great leaders of the housing crisis in Portugal, the time has come to resolve, say that it has nothing to do with it and hopes that the Aquira will solve the problem in quotation marks,” André Ventura said at the end of a meeting of about 40 minutes with the Prime Minister.

And he added: “I don’t know if the President of the Republic will want to have a word here either, in the sense that these meetings take place a few days after a Council of State, and I think the idea for the country is that the three largest parties assume their responsibility and give people some comfort in terms of property and rent law. And so perhaps the President of the Republic, who is also socialist, should have some intervention here.”

Ventura assured that “Enough will not let the causators of the housing crisis not take responsibility for solutions”, having accused the Secretary-General of the PS of “disclaiming everything that he has implied in recent days”.

“It takes a lot of nerve and a lot of shame having been in the government while the whole housing scenario has worsened and now coming out of a meeting and saying they want nothing to do with it,” he said.

From the perspective of the leader of the Aquira, “it is impossible to consensualize measures if they are not presented, it is impossible for there to be vague consensus in a matter that tells people so much if we do not know what we are talking about and it is impossible to have dialogue when one or two of these parties do not want any dialogue, they just want to anticipate electoral benefits or institutional exhaustion”.

Ventura also noted that she took 50 proposals for the meeting with Luís Montenegro and insisted on measures already in the State Budget for next year, because the country cannot “wait” for changes to the rental law. According to the congressman, the proposals aim to “respond to the problem of the lack of housing, but also to the brutal increase in the cost of living”, through the “increase of the deductions of rents in the IRS or the deductibility of house credit” and the availability of state buildings for housing. The president also argued that rents “do not go up wildly” and give confidence to owners to put empty houses in the rental market.

“ Of course, the government, if it expects this to go forward, must now give a signal of support for housing credit. Now, this has to be done in the state budget. The government has to give a signal in support of rents in the state budget, because after the state budget will say it violates the law-trafficking ", he stressed.

Ventura indicated that further technical meetings will take place between party teams and the Ministry of Finance, but no further meetings with the Prime Minister are planned.

“It’s easier to say no than to work on a solution”

Later, the parliamentary leaders of AD returned to the PS the accusations of intransigence, with social democrat Hugo Soares accusing the socialists of trying to deny reality.

“Easier said no than working on a solution. [...] What I think is that a party that puts as a negotiating condition withdraw everything that has been done so far, demonstrates that yes, I would not say an intransigence, but an absolute denial of reality”, said the chairman of the PSD bench.

The leader argued that “the country is not expecting a logic of guilt, which generates childishness in politics that is not good for anyone”. In addition, he questioned whether the PS, which was government for eight years, “thinks that everything is fine and that nothing should be changed”, reaffirming that the current lease regime is the responsibility of socialist executives.

“If the price of rent is too high with the current law, the law must be changed. The government brings to parliament a bill aimed at reducing rents and government and parties supporting this majority in parliament are willing to negotiate. [...] We're not saying there's no negotiation. If we are not saying that there is no negotiation, it is not us, I think, that we are being intransigent”, he said.

Also the parliamentary leader of the CDS-PP, Paulo Nuncio, considered that the socialists showed “a huge intransigence in order to create almost insurmountable obstacles to reaching a comprehensive agreement on housing”, despite having “come to the meeting [and] discussed the proposals”.

The two parliamentary leaders of AD reiterated “total openness” to continue to discuss in Parliament the legal regime of the lease at the specialty stage with all parties, based on the proposal contained in the Government’s legislative authorisation application.

“ I think the Portuguese will not forgive politicians who do not take advantage of the climate that is installed in civil society to discuss, but to find a common ground in legislation that can aim to lower income prices ", defended Hugo Soares.

On Friday, there are meetings in Parliament with the other parties (except for the JPP, which will be received on Tuesday) and the Ministers for Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, from State and Finance, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, from the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, and from Parliamentary Affairs, Carlos Abreu Amorim.