Europe's Housing Crisis' questions the new Commission has to answer
Housing Europe's contribution to the hearings of the Commissioners-designate
Brussels, 1 October 2019 | Published in Energy, Urban, Economy, Social
On the day of the launch of its 'State of Housing in the EU' report, Housing Europe, representing over 25 million homes across the continent, uses the proof generated by the biennial compass of Europe's housing sector to ask the European Commissioners-designate the questions that the much neglected housing crisis puts on the table of every hearing taking place this week in Brussels.
Questions to Elisa Ferreira, Commissioner-designate for Cohesion & Reforms
- In the face of the crisis of affordable housing in the European Union, how do you intend to accelerate the investment effort of the future post-2020 cohesion policy to support housing as social infrastructure and the energy performance of households? housing for both existing and new housing?
- How do you intend to support the urban agenda, especially the different partnerships that allow European cities to exchange on crucial issues such as housing, poverty, immigration? In your opinion, how can the European Parliament be actively involved in this initiative?
Questions to Frans Timmermans, First Executive Vice-President in charge of the European Green New Deal
- How do envisage the scaling up of financial ressources for the renovation of the building stock?
- How will the European Commission strengthen its actions on circular economy in the building sector?
Question to Nicolas Schmit, Commissioner-designate for Jobs
- How will the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights translate into the European Semester in order to allow Member States to further invest in social, cooperative and public housing? Will you support the introduction of more flexiblity in the Stability and Growth Pact, i.e. differentiate the treatment of investment in social infrastructures (including social housing) from other expenditure?
Question to Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President and Commissioner-desginate for Competition
- How will you consolidate the legal framework applicable to housing and, in particular, secure state aid schemes in the social housing SGEI (EC Decision) taking into account the changing needs of European citizens while guaranteeing the Member States the full competence to define the missions of social housing and its obligations of public service as just recalled by the ECJ (case T 202/10 RENV II)
Question to Kadri Simson, Commissioner-designate for Energy
- How do you intend support the holistic approach combining reduction of energy consumption and production of renewable energy in order to achieve the carbon neutrality in the building sector by 2050?