Labour put housing on the EU agenda — and now the first EU Housing Plan gives Europe the tools to act
Labour put housing on the EU agenda — and now the first EU Housing Plan gives Europe the tools to act - The Labour Party
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Labour MEP for Dublin and lead Socialists & Democrats Group negotiator on housing, has welcomed the publication of the EU’s first Affordable Housing Plan, describing it as a significant step forward in recognising housing as a shared European challenge that requires coordinated action, sustained public investment and clear political leadership at EU level.
Speaking following the announcement, Ó Ríordáin said:
“This is a major moment in the fight to tackle the housing crisis in Dublin, in Ireland and across Europe. It didn’t happen by chance. It is the direct result of last year’s European elections, when we made housing action at EU level a central part of our platform in Dublin and demanded that Europe finally treat this crisis as the social emergency it is.
“Because of that pressure, we delivered the first-ever EU Commissioner for Housing. Because of that pressure, we established a dedicated European Parliament committee on housing. And because of that pressure, we now have an EU Housing Plan with concrete, EU-wide actions to respond to an EU-wide crisis.
“Across the Union, millions of people are struggling with soaring rents, rising house prices and insecure tenancies. Whether you are in Dublin, Paris or Barcelona, the story is often the same: housing costs are racing ahead of incomes and locking people out of secure homes. However, in Ireland the scale of the crisis is much more stark than in most other EU countries, with more than 5,000 children now homeless. That is a national disgrace that our Government are responsible for.
“This plan begins to address the root causes of the crisis, including decisive action on short-term tourist lettings that are stripping homes out of local markets – leaving homeless families living in hotels and tourists in houses. Crucially, this plan gives cities and regions stronger tools to respond where housing pressure is most acute as a result of short term lettings.
“However, we need to see more from the Commission – that is why in the European Parliament we are pushing for a ban on no fault evictions – pushing children into homelessness, an end to speculative practices that treat housing as a commodity to trade rather than a fundamental right and a massive scaling up of housing first programmes to end homelessness.
“Europe and the Member States now have a responsibility to move quickly, back this plan with serious resources and ambition to ensure that secure, affordable housing for all becomes a reality rather than an aspiration. And I would make a direct call on the Irish Government to make housing the central theme of the European Presidency with a EU Housing Summit potentially being held in Ireland next year.”