The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament call on the member states and the Commission to make use of cohesion funds as an investment tool for the creation of public housing by local and state authorities. This is included in a report of the European Parliament's committee on regional development drafted under the lead of the S&D Group.
Marcos Ros Sempere, S&D coordinator and leading negotiator on the matter in the EP's committee on regional development, said:
“Housing is such a pressing issue throughout the EU that we have to use all money available to solve it. This is another case where cohesion policy proves how valuable it is for the EU with its huge social impact on citizens’ lives. No one can deny housing is a top priority of social policy. If this is the case, we have to fight the housing crisis with the help of European funds under one condition: public housing must remain public forever. Money from cohesion policy must not be used for real estate speculation.
“In order to achieve this, we need an urgent reform of cohesion funds to allow investment by local and state authorities in affordable housing. We have to think beyond the time limits of the current Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) – the pluriannual budget of our union for 2021-2027. Housing should be among the most urgent social problems to be solved through the post-2027 MFF. This is the way to make sure we have the money for long-term solutions to the problems our citizens face.”
