Without clear safeguards, the announced Affordable Housing Act will have no real effect!

Today, for the first time in history, the European Commission presented its affordable housing plan for the entire European Union. The Greens/EFA group welcomes this first step in recognising and addressing the housing crisis in the EU, but calls for more ambitious measures.

‍“Without clear safeguards that protect and strengthen public, social and non-profit housing and prevent further accumulation of wealth in the hands of the wealthiest, the announced Affordable Housing Act will have no real effect “ highlights Gordan Bosanac in the European Parliament .

Today, for the first time in history, the European Commission presented its affordable housing plan for the entire European Union. The Greens/EFA group welcomes this first step in recognising and addressing the housing crisis in the EU, but call for more ambitious measures.

”Bold action is needed to tackle the root causes of the housing crisis: speculation, financialisation and short-term rental, and we also want to see a stronger role for cities and regions in tackling this crisis. It is crucial that the various legislative initiatives that will be proposed regarding short-term rentals leave room for cities to act. This is a good first step in addressing one of the most important crises in the EU, but without binding legal instruments to strengthen housing rights, the plan remains largely a framework of intentions and future deadlines. We call on the European Commission to include these measures in the announced Affordable Housing Act.” says Gordan Bosanac.

Bosanac warned that one should not be allowed to go under the guise of affordable housing towards the devastation of space and for the benefit of investors, as is the case with the proposal of the new Law on Spatial Planning by Minister Bacic: ”It is in Croatia, under the guise of affordable housing, that the Government proposes to simplify construction at the expense of cities. This approach has already mobilized a large number of citizens against these proposals. Let us not allow the talk of affordable housing to turn into a favour for the chosen ones or result in the disillusionment of citizens in the European institutions.”

Bosanac stressed how important affordable housing is for Croatian citizens with the fact that citizens contacted us on this topic almost daily, as well as 538 responses coming from Croatian citizens to the official consultations of the Commission, the highest per capita in relation to all other EU members.

The Greens/EFA Group said they recognise the European Commission's final recognition that this is a problem that affects all EU countries and requires a European solution. They emphasize that housing is a fundamental human right and the basis of human dignity, not a commodity.

They welcome the fact that the plan mentions housing-specific investments, but stress that the way these funds are implemented is crucial. These instruments must be accompanied by clear conditions, and the plan lacks a more decisive approach to speculation in the real estate market, which continues to significantly aggravate the housing crisis. Without the introduction of fair taxation, realestate will continue to be seen as an investment, and housing will not be available to everyone as a fundamental human right.

The Greens/EFA, through the Housing Committee and the European Parliament, intend to work to translate the plan into real action and to continue the fight against speculation and for the right to affordable housing for all.