European Commission wants to give instruments to countries and local authorities to limit local accommodation, which puts pressure on housing prices, in a law it will propose this year
The European Commission is asking for contributions, until the end of the month, to help draft a legislative proposal that aims to respond to the housing crisis and guarantee affordable homes.
In a statement, the European Commission indicates that anyone interested can respond to a questionnaire until March 29th and a request to submit contributions until April 3rd.
The community executive says that these contributions will help in the preparation of a legislative proposal on affordable housing, which will be presented later this year and which aims to meet the objectives of the European Plan for Affordable Housing, announced in December.
“The initiative aims to provide a clear and stable regulatory framework that allows public authorities to identify areas with housing problems. It will also include measures aimed at protecting and promoting housing affordability in these areas, notably through a legislative proposal on short-term rentals”, states the European Commission.
Quoted in the statement, the European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, indicates that “some regions of Europe are being particularly affected by the housing crisis, with people having difficulty paying rent or even finding a place where people can live a decent life”.
The commissioner highlights that this is why the community executive wants to “give local authorities the tools they need to take action and make a real difference to the everyday lives of their citizens, including with regards to the growing impact of short-term rentals”.
“But we cannot solve this challenge alone. I appeal to everyone who is interested in this issue to contribute to our work. Only by working together can we begin to reverse the trend of this crisis”, he says.
Last December, the European Commission proposed the first EU-wide plan to promote affordable housing, which includes a strategy for housing construction (focusing on vacant homes and renovation and conversion of buildings), the simplification of rules on construction (such as permits) and the review of state aid rules (making it easier for Member States to invest in affordable and social housing).
The plan also covers the reinforcement of European funds (from the long-term EU budget, cohesion, the InvestEU program and the European Investment Bank), the fight against real estate speculation (with greater transparency in the sector) and a new law on local accommodation (with a legal framework for local authorities to act).
The European Commission wants to give countries and local authorities tools to limit local accommodation, which puts pressure on house prices, in a law it will propose this year.
Over the next 10 years, the EU will have to build around 650,000 new homes per year, which involves public and private investment of 150 billion euros annually.
The European Union is facing a housing crisis, particularly in countries like Portugal, where house prices and rents have increased significantly, making it difficult to access affordable housing, especially for young people and low-income families.
Brussels estimates that housing prices in Portugal are overvalued by 25%, the highest percentage in the European Union.
