The Rise of Housing Unions and the Challenge for Euskal Herria

• Widespread housing protests across Spain have pressured the government into drafting new rental protection decrees.
• Housing unions are successfully framing the crisis as a class conflict between tenants and rentiers rather than a supply issue.
• Euskal Herria lags behind this mobilization, characterized by a fragmented movement and powerful rentier-aligned institutional policies.

The Evolution of Housing Activism

• Movements have evolved from reactive eviction resistance to proactive political bargaining for indefinite contracts and rent caps.
• Activists have forced the Spanish government into reactive postures, compelling legislative changes that were previously off the table.
• By targeting the "rentier class" rather than other vulnerable groups, these unions have successfully shifted public discourse and political agendas.

The Landscape in Euskal Herria

• Local movements remain disjointed, lacking the cohesive strategy and pan-regional coordination seen in Madrid and Barcelona.
• The rentier block in Euskal Herria is deeply embedded in regional power structures, including local banks, media, and construction lobbies.
• The government's "Itxaso Law" and the newly announced Housing Social Fund are criticized for prioritizing private developer profits and middle-class investment over the needs of low-income tenants.

Strategic Recommendations

• There is a critical need for a professionalized housing union in Euskal Herria capable of collective bargaining and autonomous strategy development.
• Future efforts must move beyond individual eviction stops toward occupying policy forums and pressuring the administrative bodies that dictate the next decade of urban planning.
• The goal is to establish a recognized counter-power that can force negotiations and disrupt the status quo established by current regional housing policy.