STRASBOURG, France, Dec 16 (AFP): The EU will on Tuesday present a first-ever plan to address the continent's deepening housing crisis, aiming to boost construction and regulate short-term rentals.
The figures are stark: nearly 1.3 million people are homeless across the 27-nation bloc-more than the entire population of Brussels.
Over the past 15 years, housing prices have surged by 60 percent, while rents have climbed almost 30 percent, according to Eurostat data.
"For too many Europeans today, home has become a source of anxiety," European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said in a recent speech addressing the challenge. Responding to a crisis that affects all EU member states, the commission has drawn up an "affordable housing plan" to be unveiled Tuesday.
Housing is not an issue that comes under the remit of the EU, unlike agriculture, migration or trade-meaning the responsibility to act lies primarily with member states.
But pressure has mounted in recent years, particularly from the left, for Brussels to step in.
"It is a widespread crisis all across the EU," said Irene Tinagli, the socialist chair of the EU parliament's housing committee, pointing to an issue that reaches far beyond Europe's big city centres.
"We've been pushing for this for years but we've been struggling to put it at the core of the European policy," said Tinagli, who recounts meeting numerous mayors urging action at EU level. The commission says it has been surprised at the level of interest its housing proposals have generated.
"This is getting more traction than we expected," a commission official told AFP.
According to a draft seen by AFP, the EU executive plans legislation to curb short-term rentals such as Airbnb, particularly in tourist hotspots where locals blame them for driving up rents.
