Affordable housing has become one of the biggest concerns for citizens across Europe. From your perspective as Mayor of Roeser and a Member of the European Committee of the Regions, what are the main challenges local authorities face in ensuring access to affordable housing?
In order to enable a greater number of individuals – but above all families – to access affordable housing, we must first and foremost abandon once and for all the idea that the market regulates itself. The public sector must intervene more actively in the market by increasing the construction of publicly funded housing. To this end, local authorities need financial support, as the provision of housing must not depend on the wealth or size of a city or municipality. Municipalities must also be enabled to secure suitable building land to fulfil their role. The saying ‘with ownership comes responsibility’ also applies to housing construction, and private interests must no longer take precedence over everyone’s fundamental right to decent housing. However, a further challenge lies in fostering the understanding that housing is a fundamental right for all people. The support of all citizens is therefore required; the problem of affordable housing cannot be solved by the so-called NIMBY effect.
Thanks to the pressure of the socialist family, the European Union has recently made housing a political priority, including the appointment of a European Commissioner for Housing and work towards a European Housing Plan. How can local and regional governments work together with the EU to turn these initiatives into tangible results for citizens?
As Socialists in the CoR, we have drawn up a detailed plan on affordable housing, which can be summarised as follows: the European Plan for Affordable Housing must place local and regional authorities at the heart of the response to the housing crisis, by recognising the diversity of models (public, social, co-operative and non-profit) and by giving them the means to take action. This means making housing a priority in the next EU budget, with new funding and a review of the rules on state aid and public procurement to provide greater support for public investment. It is also essential to combat speculation, ensure the long-term affordability of EU-funded housing, better regulate short-term lettings and preserve public land. Policies must adopt an inclusive approach that is gender-sensitive and responsive to the needs of vulnerable groups, whilst providing targeted support to small local authorities and regions facing specific challenges. At the same time, the EU must upskill the workforce to support the green transition in the construction sector, promote sustainable renovations without causing evictions (‘renovictions’) and support the ‘Housing First’ approach in order to prevent and permanently eliminate homelessness.
Progressive cities and regions are leading the way with innovative housing policies. Could you share an example of a successful initiative from Luxembourg or your municipality, and what lessons other European local authorities could learn from it?
My own local authority is a medium-sized one, with 7,300 residents spread across seven villages. For the past few years, we have been trying to expand the council’s stock of rental accommodation. We are currently finalising a project for 24 homes in the centre of one of our villages, built around a former village school. These homes will ensure social diversity, including, amongst other things, 8 flats as part of an intergenerational scheme, 4 homes made available to an organisation supporting women who are victims of domestic violence, and the remaining homes – of varying sizes – let to both single people and families. At the same time, we are working on a major urban development project, in partnership with the State and a public developer, which envisages the creation of some 850 housing units (detached houses, terraced houses, flats) on a site of around 25 hectares, 70 per cent of which is owned by the State and the local council. We also have plans to create ‘housing first’ accommodation within this framework for marginalised groups, such as refugees, for example! The key lesson for other local authorities is, above all, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way!”