At the conference 'No Space Left Behind: Unlocking Vacant Spaces for Affordable Housing and Ensuring Inclusive Options for Vulnerable Communities', I spoke from the perspective of the European Parliament about the concrete steps that the EU must take to unlock the enormous potential of empty buildings across Europe.Europe today has more than 47.5 million empty homes while at the same time we lack millions of affordable apartments.
That is why I emphasized again: the problem is not in the lack of construction, but in the poor management policies of the existing fund.
The key steps are clear:
👉 fair taxation of vacant real estate
👉 redevelopment and renovation of existing buildings
👉 financial tools for the activation of empty spaces
👉 strengthening public and social housing.
In Croatia we have about 590,000 empty apartments, while HDZ continues to repeat “build, build, build” as if it were the only answer. Apartments have become an investment tool, not a living space. Expecting that the market will only be regulated by new construction is really no longer realistic! It's time for a different approach, which is: activate empty apartments, better regulate short-term rentals and seriously increase the public housing stock.
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