Committee of the Regions welcomes proposal for housing and calls for more investment

ANDm reported, the body stressed that the proposal is “an important step towards offering cities and regions the legal certainty they have long claimed to address housing challenges through measures adapted to local circumstances, including regulation of short-term leases, where necessary”.

The CoR recalled in its press release that for several years it has been “defending a more active EU role in combating the housing crisis”, with “solutions adapted to local realities and a more relevant role for local authorities”.

The question is the new Accessible Housing Act, presented today by the European Commission, which establishes a common framework for identifying areas under housing pressure in the EU and defines the conditions to be met before restrictions on local housing or other uses of buildings that do not correspond to the main residence are adopted.

CoR President Kata Tüttő stressed that the Accessible Housing Act “is an important first step in responding to the concerns of a growing number of citizens who face difficulties in finding a place to live”.

Hungarian policy, quoted in the press release, stressed that the new rules “are fundamental”, but also point out that more investment is needed.

“ Here, there is a clear contradiction between the initiative launched today and the proposal from the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028-2034, in which the Commission drastically weakens the role of cities and regions in guiding EU investment and cuts all the financial instruments used so far by local authorities to support and raise the quality of their housing strategies,” he warned.

Kata Tüttő also ensured that the CoR will continue to “work to improve the proposed measures and make EU support more effective”.

The CoR rapporteur on the theme “The role of cities and regions in the EU Plan for Accessible Prices Housing”, Jaume Collboni, also president of the Barcelona City Council, pointed out that housing “is the main source of social inequality in Europe”, thus welcoming the proposed measure.

The mayor of Barcelona praised “the recognition that the proliferation of short-term rental services in cities aggravates housing shortages at affordable prices for residents, as well as the possibility of taking action on this issue, as well as on the acquisition of second homes or other non-residential uses.

“ We also appreciate the leadership role that cities played throughout the elaboration process, for example, by proposing the adoption of areas under housing pressure as the central pillar of the regulation ", highlighted, also mentioned in the statement.

Jaume Collboni said that the CoR looks forward to “interaction with the European Parliament and the EU Council to improve some aspects of the text, in particular as regards the main residences”.

The Committee of the Regions It is an advisory body composed of elected representatives of regional and local authorities from the 27 EU countries. He meets in plenary in Brussels six times a year.

The European Commission's initiative comes in the context of growing concern with the increase in housing costs in several Member States and with the difficulty of access to affordable homes, especially in urban areas and regions with greater pressure on the real estate market.

The proposal, which seeks to create a common framework for assessing housing pressure and the proportionality of short-term housing restrictions, must now be negotiated by the Member States and the European Parliament.