Progressive mayors and MEPs jointly support the #HousingForAll Citizens Initiative

11 December 2019
Progressive mayors and MEPs jointly support the #HousingForAll Citizens Initiative

The current dramatic housing shortage in Europe urgently requires better EU legislation to allow more public investment in public and assisted housing. Since the economic and financial crisis of 2008/2009, public-sector investments in affordable and social housing have decreased by 50%.There is an alarming lack of affordable housing in Europe’s cities and housing has become much too expensive for many people. Short-term letting to tourists via digital platforms also reduces the amount of housing available for local residents in many cities. The EU must thus urgently act and create better legal and financial framework conditions that will make housing for all people in Europe possible.

Today, PES Group members joined members of the Social and Democrats Group in the European Parliament, and in particular Evelyne Regner, Pierfrancesco Majorino,  Andreas Schieder, Sylvie Guillaume, Manuel Pizarro and Estrella Dura, in an action day in support of the European Citizens’ Initiative “Housing for All” , which fights for more affordable, municipal and non-profit housing in Europe.

 

Expressing his support on behalf of the PES Group, President Christophe Rouillon, stressed that “Housing has become the defining social and economic issue of our time. It is housing that is at the forefront of improving energy efficiency and fighting energy poverty. It is housing that will make or break the EU's Green Deal.  As an urgent first step, we expect the European Commission to present an EU Action Plan on Affordable Housing, which would build on a strong EU cohesion policy and encompass a revision of the state aid rules applicable to social housing. Local and regional authorities should be empowered by the EU to proactively provide social housing to those whose housing needs cannot be met by the market.” 

The call for clear and fair rules in the EU to guarantee affordable housing for all by better regulating digital platforms is also echoed in the CoR opinion on  the collaborative economy, drafted by PES Group member Peter Florianschütz, Member of the Vienna City Council, and adopted at last week's CoR plenary session. “Vienna is the world capital of social housing. Only a reasonable regulation of platforms creates the conditions to avoid artificial shortages and thus increased housing costs and to provide affordable housing for all, which is a fundamental right”, underlined Florianschütz.

 

 

 

Many other PES Group members and progressive mayors also took part in the action day.

PES Group members have supported the European Citizens’ Initiative “Housing for All” in a  joint action at their group meeting on 26 June 2019.

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