A New Vision for Housing in Europe
Europe faces a critical housing crisis, extending beyond rising costs – a 52% increase in construction expenses between 2010 and 2023, coupled with a 20% drop in building permits over the last five years, while house prices have surged by over 20% in the last decade. This is fundamentally a matter of dignity and opportunity,impacting young people,working families,and vulnerable populations. Europe cannot afford to ignore this challenge, as it tests the very foundations of our society and democracy.
The EU is committed to addressing this crisis with a comprehensive and pragmatic plan focused on making affordable, sustainable, and decent housing a reality for all Europeans.This plan will prioritize:
* Increased Investment: Mobilizing resources from the EU budget and revising state aid rules to empower countries, cities, and regions to invest in subsidized and affordable housing.
* Smart Financing: Attracting private investment while safeguarding citizen’s rights and tackling the financialization of housing, through innovative financing models like the European Investment Platform for Sustainable Housing.
* Reduced Bureaucracy: Streamlining planning,permitting,and procurement processes,and removing barriers within the EU single market to fully utilize Europe’s robust construction industry (employing over 27 million people and producing vast resources like 170 million cubic meters of wood annually).
* Targeted Support: Implementing measures to address specific vulnerabilities, including new legislation on short-term rentals to balance tourism benefits with the needs of local communities.
* Protecting the Most Vulnerable: Developing concrete measures to support young people, students, and the homeless, ensuring housing is a essential right, not a privilege.
* Sharing Best Practices: Facilitating the exchange of accomplished strategies from cities across Europe that have effectively tackled homelessness and housing insecurity.
This plan represents a commitment to building a new future for housing in Europe – a future that won’t be easy, but one we must build together. Addressing this crisis is not simply about bricks and mortar; it’s about reaffirming our European values and ensuring a just and equitable society for all.
Dan Jørgensen, EU Commissioner for energy and Housing.
