The European Parliament’s Special Committee on the Housing Crisis visits Catalonia

The three-day mission to Catalonia of the European Parliament’s Special Committee on the Housing Crisis concluded on Wednesday. Hey were here to learn first-hand how the housing crisis is affecting our country, and specifically the Barcelona metropolitan area. This is the first official visit of this Committee since it was established at the beginning of the year. “It has not been easy, but we are proud of the work done, having managed to set the housing crisis in Catalonia at the heart of the European agenda,” said Diana Riba, the spokesperson for Esquerra at the European Parliament and deputy-leader of the party.

The MEPs have learned first-hand about the different dimensions of the housing crisis in the country through a broad agenda. “We have had institutional meetings, but above all it has been enriching to meet with organisations such as tenants’ union Sindicat de Llogateres, Càritas, the Hàbitat3 Foundation, unions Comissions Obreres and UGT, business association Cercle d'Economia, as well as several experts in the field,” Ms Riba explained.

Even so, Esquerra’s leader wanted to make clear that the agenda still lacked important voices such as that of the PAH Platform for People Affected by Mortgages. “Despite the attempt by the right to prevent their voice from being heard, Esquerra has tried to bring their demands to this mission,” she stated.
“Don’t leave the field open to the right and the far right”

Ms Riba warned that “if the progressives do not occupy the space in this type of mission, the right and the far right will.” This was shown by the fact that the mission dedicated a time to a meeting with the People’s Party mayor of Badalona, ​​Xavier Garcia Albiol. For Ms Riba, “it was an opportunity for MEPs to see first-hand how some leaders are using the housing crisis as a political weapon to promote an agenda with clear xenophobic and classist overtones.”
Esquerra’s proposals for housing in Europe

To try to put an end to property speculation and set the right to housing at the centre of EU policy, the Greens/EFA group, of which Esquerra Republicana is a member, will propose a European Action Plan for Affordable Housing to the Housing Committee. Ms Riba assured that from Europe, “Esquerra means to put a stop to vulture funds and banks that accumulate housing to inflate prices, by demanding transparency in transactions and taxes on empty homes.”
Esquerra’s deputy-leader also called for “a specific European fund for social housing, since the deficit in public investment is estimated to be €57 billion a year” In this regard, the new investment should prioritise vulnerable households and include clear social criteria.

Finally, Ms Riba demanded a “forceful response” against energy poverty through the renovation of homes to make them more efficient, effective measures against homelessness, and the power of cities to regulate tourist rentals in order to “protect everyone’s right to live there.”