The housing issue is no longer just a problem related to the market or the construction sector, but has become a matter of social solidarity, territorial justice and democratic stability.
Modern.az reports that this was stated by Marcos Ros Sempere, a member of the European Parliament, at a round table entitled “Parliamentarians: Translating urban commitments into national action - the parliamentary path to housing for all” within the 13th session of the World Urban Forum held in Baku.
He noted that rising housing prices, speculative pressures, territorial inequality and climate risks in Europe and globally are seriously affecting societies:
“For many years, the housing issue was mainly considered a national, regional or local issue, and there was limited coordination at the European level. However, the scale of the crisis has shown that housing affordability directly affects economic competitiveness, social inclusion, territorial integrity, green transition and citizens' trust in EU institutions.”
Morcos also emphasized that the appointment of a commissioner responsible for housing for the first time at the European level and the development of an affordable housing plan are important steps:
“We have made a decision regarding making investments in public housing possible from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This was not possible before. In addition, the concept of affordable housing has been recognized as a fundable model for the first time.”
According to him, housing policy should not be considered separately from territorial planning, mobility, public services, energy efficiency and climate resilience:
“One of the main problems is political and budgetary fragmentation. Housing policy is often implemented separately from land planning and transport systems. At the same time, local authorities face a lack of funding.”
The European Parliament representative also added that the European Parliament will advocate for stronger multi-level governance and financing mechanisms in negotiations on the next multi-annual financial framework.
