Transactions for entire buildings in Barcelona have seen a 31% drop in the last year, falling from 217 units in 2024 to 149 in 2025. This trend, welcomed by the city council, is attributed to a combination of housing legislation, including caps on rent prices and seasonal rentals, and active opposition from neighbourhood groups. Municipal sources interpret this decline as a success in combating real estate speculation and resident displacement.
According to the Metropolitan Housing Observatory of Barcelona (O-HB), without legal caps, new rentals in the city could have averaged 1,318 euros per month, 13.6% more than the registered 1,161 euros. The organisation notes that regulation has helped stabilize prices, although interpretations of its real market impact vary, with some real estate associations pointing to increased per-square-meter costs and a decline in new contracts.
“"Speculative demand is decreasing thanks to regulation, and we are left with residential."
Meanwhile, political figures such as Artur Mas, Jordi Turull, and Xavier Trias have questioned the decision to dissolve Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya (CDC) ten years ago. In interviews with ACN, they agree on reclaiming the party's legacy, albeit with nuances on how it has been managed since. Turull suggests the dissolution was a structural decision influenced by circumstances like corruption cases and pressure from 'state sewers,' while Trias laments the loss of identity, and Mas admits they 'might have been able to avoid it'.
In other news, controversy surrounds the upcoming visit of the Pope to Barcelona. An alliance of pro-independence groups, a branch of Freemasonry led by Joan Francesc Pont Clemente, the Ateos de Cataluña association, and ERC have announced protests and boycott actions under the slogan 'I won't wait for you.' They criticize the visit being treated as a state event, undermining institutional neutrality and the principle of non-denominationalism.
