REPORT on the housing crisis in the European Union with the aim of proposing solutions for decent, sustainable and affordable housing

Tabled by Maria Ohisalo

Added: -1. Underlines that the severe housing crisis the EU is suffering is deepening and that it is exacerbated by a persistent lack of effective measures to address its root causes, notably the financialisation of the housing sector, speculation, the significant and growing investment gap in social and affordable housing, and the proliferation of short-term rentals for tourists (‘touristification’) as well as rising energy and utility costs, aggravated by an aging and energy-inefficient building stock; regrets that speculative investment and the financialisation of housing are enabled by a permissive regulatory framework allowing mainly institutional investors such as hedge funds, mutual funds and banks to inflate prices by bidding up the cost of real estate, prioritising profit over affordability and leading to a severe disconnect between local incomes and housing prices; opposes the revival of the securitisation market, as securitisation created the housing bubble that triggered the 2008 financial crisis, and accelerates housing financialisation by turning mortgage loans into tradable assets, thus worsening housing affordability;

Wording as published by the EP, in English. PE782.973v01-00