Lorraine Williamson
Spain’s social shield decree is back on the table, but this time the government is trying a different route: separating the package into two decree-laws to stop pensioners becoming collateral damage in a political fight over housing and evictions.
According to reporting on Tuesday, 3 February, the Council of Ministers is approving two separate texts: one focused on pension revaluation, and another aimed at extending the anti-eviction moratorium while tweaking protections for small landlords.
The split comes after Congress formally struck down the previous “omnibus” decree. The repeal was published in the official record, resetting the clock on measures that had been meant to run through 2026.
Why the government is splitting the package
Last week’s parliamentary defeat was not really about pensions. It was about the mix.
The rejected decree tied pension rises to a broader set of “social shield” protections, including limits on certain evictions and rules designed to shield vulnerable households. Opposition parties and Junts argued the housing elements were unacceptable and used them as their line in the sand.
By pulling pensions out into a standalone decree-law, ministers hope to make it politically harder for parties to vote against pensioners while still fighting the housing clauses. It is also a test of whether Junts and other partners will accept a narrower text that looks less like an all-you-can-eat legislative buffet.
What the pensions decree is expected to do
The core aim is to reintroduce the 2026 revaluation that was left in limbo after the earlier repeal.
The government’s previous framework set a 2.7% general revaluation for contributory pensions and certain state pensions, linked to inflation rules already laid out in the system for 2026.
The key practical point is timing. If the legal basis is not restored quickly, some pension payments could temporarily go out without the full uplift, then be corrected once the new decree is in force and later validated by Congress.
Evictions and landlords: the pressure point
The second decree-law is the political minefield. It is designed to keep the moratorium on certain evictions for vulnerable households, but with changes intended to win enough votes.
On Tuesday, El País reported that the PNV has announced an agreement with the government to protect landlords who only have one rental property, so they are not left carrying the financial burden when a tenant stops paying. The stated aim is to avoid small owners being trapped for months without rent.
Cadena SER also reports that the government has modified the anti-eviction text to offer greater guarantees for small property owners affected by non-payment, as it tries to assemble a majority.
What happens next in Congress
Decree-laws are immediate. They also come with a deadline.
Under Spain’s constitutional rules, Congress must validate a decree-law within a set period, or it falls. The same mechanism is what allowed Congress to revoke the earlier package, which was then published officially.
That means today’s cabinet move is not the end of the story. It is the start of a new, fast political sprint, with pensions as the easier vote and housing protections as the harder one.
Why this matters for readers
For pensioners, the question is whether the uplift is protected in time for upcoming payments, and whether any temporary gaps are later backdated.
For tenants and landlords, the fight is over who carries the risk during the housing crunch: vulnerable renters with nowhere to go, or small owners whose only income may be a single rent cheque. The government’s new drafting suggests it is trying to make room for both, but the parliamentary arithmetic is unforgiving.
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