Abstract
Purpose of the Paper
Recently, almost everyone, or a good part of the political, economic and social agents and even intellectuals, and various public demonstrations, there is a unanimous clamour about the convenience of providing the population with a stock of social and affordable housing, particularly for young people, and for the most economically disadvantaged.
The objective of the Paper is to get down to work to achieve an «Investment Plan for an Inclusive Europe. Investment Plan of the European Social Housing Pact» that guarantees a decent life for all citizens: access to housing in affordable conditions. And to do so, it is necessary to replicate the Investment «Plan for a Sustainable Europe. Investment Plan of the European Green Pact», so that just as there is the «European green bond» or «BVEu» there is also the «European housing bond» or «BVEu".
The Peper's aim is that all the stakeholders involved can achieve, during the new mandate of the European Parliament, together with the Council, the adoption of a REGULATION (EU) that replicates that of 2023/2631 of 30.11.2023 on "European green bonds", in this case on "European Social Housing Bonds".
And to achieve this, fortunately, at the time of writing the Communication there is a great ace up its sleeve: for the first time in the European Commission there is a Commissioner for Housing, which can be a great 'trump card' - a good card as in the card game - here in a figurative sense - to make it possible to establish a Regulation of the EU, the European Parliament and the Council, for the issuance of "European Social Housing Bonds".
In July 2023, the President of the new European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, acknowledged before the European Parliament the magnitude of the problem, stating that: "People are struggling to find affordable homes." Following these statements, at the end of 2023, the Commission proposed the first European Plan for Affordable Housing, including creating a dedicated Commissioner to address this challenge.
The new European Commission (2024-2029) has taken a promising step by appointing the Danish Dan Jørgensen as its first Commissioner for Housing and Energy. Although under the principle of subsidiarity, the Union has no direct authority over national housing policy, the Commission and the Commissioner have the tools to play a decisive role in driving a way out of the housing crisis that restores its fundamental role as a cornerstone of social inclusion and an integral part of the European fabric.
The Liège Declaration, signed by EU ministers in March 2024, offers a clear way forward. It recognises housing as a key pillar against poverty and social exclusion and calls for substantial public investment in social and affordable housing.
Dan Jørgensen will be tasked with developing the European Plan for Affordable Housing, proposed by the Commission by the end of 2023, which should provide technical assistance to Member States on investment. In parallel, he will be tasked with working with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to create a pan-European platform for investment in affordable and sustainable housing. The platform aims to attract public and private investment to increase the supply of affordable housing and address investment gaps in the construction sector. Brussels has also proposed doubling cohesion fund investments to construct affordable housing.
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