01.04 - Spain Today 8 October 2024

Summary of Spain's news for October 8, 2024: Criminal Records Law: Justice Minister Félix Bolaños confirmed to the Popular Party (PP) Secretary General, Cuca Gamarra, that the Government will not withdraw the criminal records law, which could benefit imprisoned ETA members. The PP, after initially supporting the law, is now calling for its withdrawal, labeling it a “disgrace.” The Association of Victims of Terrorism (AVT) claims that 44 ETA prisoners could benefit from this legal reform, which the Government defends as necessary to comply with European law. "All these texts were public and widely known: it is impossible for the PP not to have been aware of them, and therefore, it is solely up to this party to provide the necessary explanations for its change of opinion," sources from the Ministry stated. General Policy Debate in Catalonia: In the first general policy debate of the Catalan legislature, the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, pledged to build 50,000 public housing units by 2030, with an annual investment of 1.1 billion euros. Illa emphasized that this represents "the most significant mobilization of public resources ever undertaken by a regional government in housing." Junts and ERC criticized the lack of specific plans in Illa’s proposals, with Junts spokesperson, Mònica Sales, urging him to "stop using such an important and vital issue as housing for populist purposes." Reception of Fostered Minors: Madrid and Andalusia are the regions with the greatest deficit in foster care places for minors, with 1,145 and 839 vacancies, respectively, according to a new Government proposal. The plan includes creating 4,437 new slots nationwide. The aim is to establish mandatory reception quotas for unaccompanied migrant minors across all autonomous communities, with state funding for those meeting the minimum required places. The Canary Islands, in contrast, exceeds its capacity, hosting more than 5,000 fostered minors, while it would only be required to accommodate around 1,000.