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Significantly more housing must be built in the EU – especially for students and socially vulnerable people.
And there must be more control over the popular short-term rentals for tourists.
These are some of the points in the first European plan for more affordable housing, which EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen presented on Tuesday.
– Europe must collectively take responsibility for the housing crisis that is affecting millions of our citizens, says Dan Jørgensen.
According to the European Commission, housing prices in the EU have risen by more than 60 percent in the last ten years, while rents have increased by more than 20 percent.
This has made it difficult for more and more Europeans to find housing they can afford.
Especially in countries like Spain, there is deep concern about the development. Housing is such a fundamental need that there are fears of increasing protests from the population if no action is taken.
Therefore, the European Commission proposes to act in several areas at once.
– This plan contains concrete measures to make housing more affordable by promoting investment, regulating short-term rentals, reducing bureaucracy and supporting the most vulnerable in our society, says Dan Jørgensen.
In Denmark and several other EU countries, short-term rentals via, for example, Airbnb have become a hot topic.
Dan Jørgensen announces that the European Commission will present a new proposal for regulation of the area next year.
However, the proposal will still leave room for, for example, Airbnb and other platforms for short-term rentals. But there may be restrictions in areas with housing shortages.
– It will not be a ban. The proposal will help define areas with pressure on the housing market.
– It will give local authorities the opportunity to promote cheaper housing in their cities and regions and to implement proportionate measures that address the negative consequences of short-term rentals, says Dan Jørgensen.
This could be a cap on the number of rental nights per year.
Denmark has already introduced this.
Or limiting rentals so that they only take place in the summer season.
The rest of the year, the homes can then, for example, be rented out to students.
Especially in cities like Barcelona in Spain, there has been massive criticism that many apartments are rented out to tourists and therefore are not available to ordinary Spaniards.