Andorra and Spain to form joint housing working group

Andorra and Spain agreed this week in Madrid to deepen technical cooperation on housing, exploring the creation of a permanent joint working group and setting a follow‑up calendar to monitor and advance measures to expand affordable rental supply and improve access to housing.

The meeting brought together Andorra’s Secretary of State for Economy, Labour and Housing, Jordi Puy, and Spain’s Secretary of State for Housing and Urban Agenda, David Lucas. Both sides committed to maintain a continuous technical dialogue and to exchange best practices to strengthen the effectiveness of public policy.

Officials examined policies to incentivise private landlords to offer rental housing, public–private partnership models and the effects of rent‑price limitations in high‑pressure areas. They reviewed Spain’s State Housing Plan 2026–2030, focusing on purchase subsidies for municipalities facing demographic risk and other mechanisms that could be adapted to Andorra’s market and demographic realities.

The Andorran delegation presented recent domestic initiatives as inputs for bilateral work, including the creation of a public affordable rental stock, a law on compulsory cession of vacant homes, a support programme for first‑time buyers and the financing models used for housing policy. Jordi Puy said, “Guaranteeing access to housing is a shared challenge that requires cooperation and innovation. Collaboration with Spain allows us to learn from their experience and contribute our perspective to advance more effective solutions.”

Both parties agreed to study concrete areas for adapting Spanish instruments to the Principality’s context and to establish a calendar for ongoing cooperation and technical follow‑up to ensure continuity of the initiatives discussed.

The meetings in Madrid were held alongside a programme organised with the Chamber of Commerce of Madrid. An Andorran delegation of about twenty merchants and communal representatives — led by Chamber president Josep Maria Mas and director Sol Rossell and including Minister of Tourism and Commerce Jordi Torres and Ambassador Eva Descàrrega — participated in sessions on commercial dynamisation, digitalisation and entrepreneurship, and visited sites such as the Mercat de San Antón, WOW Concept and Galería Canalejas to study market evolution and sustainable business models.

The Chamber of Commerce described the exchange as positive and said it will host a reciprocal meeting with its Madrid counterparts in Andorra in late spring to continue the dialogue. Officials highlighted potential cooperation on training services among the areas under consideration as part of ongoing institutional and commercial exchanges.