MEPs on the whole welcomed the European Commission’s announcements in favour of a European housing policy for the next five years, during a plenary session debate on Wednesday 9 October.
Many MEPs have stressed the social dimension of this policy. Liesbet Sommen (EPP, Belgian) said there was a need for “a strategy for affordable housing” and increased funding for the construction of “social housing”. The revision of the European framework for State aid could play a role in this, she added.
Recalling that the Social Democrat family had made the launch of initiatives on housing at EU level a condition of its support for the re-election of Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission, the President of the S&D Group, Spain’s Iratxe García Pérez, cited Eurostat figures stating that “more than 10% of households in the EU spend more than 40% of their income on rent and/or mortgage repayments”. We need to increase the supply of housing, she added, advocating a budget of “€50 billion a year” dedicated to this.
“We must ensure that housing becomes a right for all” by stepping up the fight against homelessness, stressed Dutch MEP Kim van Sparrentak (Greens/EFA). Li Andersson (The Left, Finnish) highlighted the importance of social housing. Taking her own country as an example, she criticised the policies of the Right, which have led to “a housing shortage”.
On the far right of the Chamber, there was criticism of the interventionist nature of a European housing policy. Paolo Borchia (PfE, Italian) criticised the sustainable housing construction targets set at European level. In the end, “Brussels” is asking Member States to foot the bill, he denounced. As for Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik (ESN, Polish), she called for the withdrawal of the Construction Products Directive, which she claims has only served to increase property prices.
In front of MEPs, European Commissioner Margarítis Schinás reiterated the housing-related announcements that Ms von der Leyen had made during her election speech in mid-July to secure the support of the Social Democrats (see EUROPE 13456/1). The Commission will launch a European action plan for affordable housing, which will include a targeted strategy for housing construction, an investment platform under the aegis of the EIB, the possibility for Member States to double the structural funds available for housing, a possible revision of the State aid framework and support for the energy efficiency of buildings. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)