Brussels, 01/10/2007 (Agence Europe) - Meeting from 18-20 September in Lyon, the annual congress of the Union sociale pour l'habitat (the French Social Habitat Union) decided to file a request to intervene as an “interested third party” with the Court of Justice of the European Communities. The congress adopted a motion which supports the requests to annul the European Commission's decision to eliminate the special rights linked to the funding of social housing held by the French State and the banking operators which benefit from these special rights.
In a press release, the Union sociale pour l'habitat's representative to the EU, Laurent Ghekiere, considers that these special rights are necessary to the funding of social housing and that their elimination would have a negative impact on the conditions for carrying out tasks of general interest entrusted to social housing organisations, in particular the long-term relaunch of social housing initiated by the national social cohesion plan. He adds among other things that, contrary to the decision to eliminate these special rights, the Union sociale pour l'habitat believes that “these rights are fully compatible with the provisions of the Treaty, and that they are justified both for the overriding reason of general interest, given the failure of the housing market to satisfy all housing needs in France, and as a necessary means of imposing public policy obligations on banking operators”. Mr Ghekiere also points out that “in accordance with the provisions of the current Treaty and the draft reform treaty, particularly the new protocol on services of general interest, the member states may define at their discretion the means of funding social housing and the public service obligations necessary to the accomplishment of social housing tasks of general interest”. Info: http: //http://www.union-habitat.org/europe (gb)