4
Oct
2023
Watch
Decent Housing for All (topical debate)
Madam President, What is currently happening on the European housing markets is nothing less than a social catastrophe for the tenants, especially because the large housing corporations with their uninhibited gold rush pull the last cent out of the tenants' pocket. For years, rents have been rising unchecked, while wages and incomes are lagging behind. In many cases, housing becomes unaffordable. Tenants are increasingly being displaced from their ancestral neighborhoods, not only in large cities, but now also in small and medium-sized cities. Increased energy costs, index leases, speculation in housing and short-term rentals have their further share. But housing is a fundamental right, housing must not be a speculative object. Behind listed housing companies like Vonovia are financial sharks like BlackRock. Today's rent increase is tomorrow's profit distribution. No return on rent therefore means, in very specific terms, that these housing companies, Commissioner, in the EU should be stripped of their licences and brought under public control. Socialisation is the magic word here – and Berlin shows how it can be done. There, the population defends itself against the rental sharks with the successful initiative ‘Deutsche Wohnen & Co. expropriate’ and takes matters into its own hands. Vacancy and speculative properties must be added to the rental. Thus, the supply is increased, and the rental prices fall. For example, if students and trainees move to the place of their studies or training, they would at least have the chance to find an affordable room in Frankfurt or Darmstadt, for example. We need a stop for rent increases and a rent cap – Spain and Portugal are already doing it. We need more social and non-profit housing – Vienna is already doing it. In order to do so, European state aid law must be amended accordingly. Investment in social housing and affordable housing must be possible everywhere. 900,000 homeless people in the EU are too many. There must be no more evictions. We need a binding Housing-first–Strategy to restore a safe roof over people’s heads – Finland is showing it off. Commissioner, despite the good examples and the proposals you have made here, I wonder: Why is there still no European strategy for affordable housing? There is no right to profit, but there is a right to housing.