Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has promised MEPs a new European commissioner with a mandate on housing, an area of limited competence for the bloc.
Between 2010 and the end of 2023, average rents in the EU increased by almost 23% and housing prices almost 48%, which has sparked protests in cities from Dublin to Amsterdam or Lisbon due to the loss of purchasing power.
The lack of affordable housing and the rising cost of living have even occupied a prominent place in the national and European electoral campaignsso, while seeking approval from MEPs, Von der Leyen did her best to address these concerns in her speech to the European Parliament.
Difficulties finding housing
“People have difficulties finding housing affordable”, said the President of the community Executive in plenary held in mid-July in Strasbourg. “I want this Commission to support people where it matters most, and if it matters to Europeans, it matters to Europe.”
In her political guidelines for the next European Commission, Von der Leyen stressed the urgency of address the housing crisisproposing the first European affordable housing plan and a commissioner responsible for this policyas the socialists had demanded as a condition to support his second term.
“The Union must present a housing plan that is not only aimed at the really needybut respond to the crisis that affects everyoneyou know: so students, single families, single parents, young workers…” David Rinaldi, policy director at the European Foundation for Progressive Studies (FEPS), told Euronews.
A decade of stagnation
But so far there is a significant investment deficit in social and affordable housing, and Member States can only use public funds to allocate them to the most vulnerable groups.
“In terms of state aidwe would like it to be recognized social and affordable housing for all -beyond disadvantaged groups or groups with fewer opportunities- as a service of general economic interest“said Christophe Rouillon, president of the PSE group at the European Committee of the Regions (CoR).
It has not been a priority in the campaign
The home has not been a priority in the debates at EU level, and housing ministers did not resume joint debates on European challenges in this political area until 2022, after a decade of stagnation; but socialists, the left and civil society organizations insist that much more can be done at the level of the EU to tackle this crisisstarting with a commissioner or vice president with the mandate to promote dialogue and investment.
“The EU can influence housing through financial regulationcompetition law, energy efficiency, regulatory and planning standardscohesion policy, climate actionurban/rural and social policies,” added Rouillon.
Improve public and private investment
To address the growing investment deficit, von der Leyen’s political plans will also include a review of the rules on state aid to give Member States more flexibility to support housing, as well as a proposal to allow Member States to double the planned investment in politics cohesion in affordable housing.
“We will work with the European Investment Bank on a pan-european investment platform in affordable and sustainable housing to attract more private and public investment,” says the political program.
More money will come from the Social Climate Fund, which will mobilize at least €86.7 billion between 2026 and 2032 to stocks and investments of support for the most vulnerable groupsaccording to the executive president of the EU. Regulate short-term rentals like Airbnb, socialists ask
Some of the key proposals of the Social Democrats on housing, including binding targets for progressively eliminate homelessness between now and 2029 and a legislative initiative to regulate short-term rentalswere not included in the president’s political program.
“For some people, (Airbnb and other platforms) es a source of incomebut it should not in any way threaten the quality of life in a city,” Rinaldi said, since the rising house prices and rent leads some citizens to move outside urban centers.
Fight homelessness
On average, in the EU 19.6% of income was spent on housing disposable income of citizens in 2022, but in the case of people considered at risk of poverty (with a disposable income less than 60% of the national average income), the housing costs They represented almost 38% of their disposable income.
ADVERTISINGThe FEPS policy director stressed that the bloc could provide guidelines and a framework for urban centers to take advantage the success of some local initiativeslike the restrictive measures introduced in Barcelona to address the housing crisis.
As for the fight against homelessnesswhich affects around 890,000 people across the EUAccording to a 2023 report published by FEANTSA, there is still no concrete proposal in the political program.
Housing is also an issue in which it is important share good practicesargued the MEP Li Andersson (Finlandia/La Izquierda), president of the Employment and Social Affairs commission, in an interview with ‘Euronews’.
“There are countries, for example Finland, that have worked a lot on the issue of homelessness and have achieved quite good results for a long time, so it shows that these types of social problems can be resolved,” he said.
ADVERTISING“Homelessness is a housing problem, the most urgent,” the director of FEANTSA, Freek Spinnewijn, wrote in X after Von der Leyen’s announcement of a Housing Commissionerand added: “Make sure the fight against homelessness “It’s part of their responsibilities.”
Von der Leyen has given until August 30 for the Member States to designate two candidates for the College of Commissioners for the next five-year term. Only then will you decide who will lead each portfolio and what powers they will have.
