MEPs demand access to decent and affordable housing to be a fundamental right
- EU countries to be more active in correcting housing market inequalities
- COVID-19 related measures to protect homeless people should be maintained
- According to Eurofound, inadequate housing costs EU’s economies 195 billion euros annually
Access to adequate housing should be recognised as a fundamental right and enforceable through European and national legislation, say Social Affairs Committee MEPs.
On Tuesday, the Employment and Social Affairs Committee adopted a resolution, with 37 votes to 11 and 7 abstentions, on the housing situation and costs in the EU. In the text, MEPs reiterated the need for an EU level goal to end homelessness in 2030.
In many EU countries, rates of homelessness have increased over the last decade due to rising housing costs and the freezing or cutting of social programmes and benefits. Member states should be more active in correcting these housing market inequalities, MEPs say. They should also maintain exceptional measures to prevent homelessness and protect homeless people in the context of the current crisis, through moratoria on evictions, disconnection from energy supply and the provision of temporary housing.
Furthermore, committee members call on the Commission and Member States to prioritise emissions reductions and energy efficiency through housing renovation, in line with the European Green Deal and in order to ensure a socially just transition to a climate-neutral economy that leaves no one behind.
Quote
Rapporteur Kim VAN SPARRENTAK: “With the adoption of this report, the EMPL committee confirms that the fundamental right to housing has to be put above the profit of large investors and financial intermediaries. To ensure that housing becomes a social good again and not just a market, the EU should develop an integrated strategy for affordable housing”.
Next Steps
The full house is expected to vote on the draft report during the January plenary session.
Background
According to research by Eurofound, inadequate housing costs the EU’s economies 195 billion euros, annually. A growing number of people living in the EU face affordability limits and housing costs overburden. Particularly single parents, large families and young people entering the labour market, experience that their income is too low to enable them to afford market rents, and too high to make them eligible for social housing.
The Covid-19 crisis has aggravated housing insecurity and has shown the precarious situations of many people.
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Ingelise DE BOER
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