Financing the building of public housing using EU funds

14.10.2016

Question for written answer E-007773-16
to the Commission
Rule 130
Adam Szejnfeld (PPE)

One in ten Europeans currently live in social housing, and the number is rising every year. With rising rents and energy prices it is likely that there will be increasing public expectation about the need to build public housing, especially given that more than 120 million Europeans are at risk of poverty and social exclusion.

Unfortunately, the responsibility for building public housing currently lies almost entirely in the hands of local authorities, which are not able to meet the growing demand. In Greece, for example, construction has completely stopped in recent years. Similarly, in Poland there is very little public housing being built for rent by less well-off families.

Can the Commission state to what extent local authorities in the Member States can benefit from EU funds to construct and modernise public housing? Does the Commission intend to give more priority to housing policy in its ongoing mid-term review of the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework?