Collboni and European mayors call on the EU to provide direct funding to cities to address the housing crisis.

BrusselsThe pressure from the Brussels Mayors for Housing coalition for the European Union roll up your sleeves as the housing crisis continuesThe mayor of Barcelona, ​​Jaume Collboni, along with the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, and the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, met in the Belgian capital with the president of the European Council, former mayor of Lisbon António Costa—all four of whom are Socialists. They did so to pressure the European Union to ensure that cities receive direct European funds in the next EU budgets to build, renovate, and purchase or subsidize the acquisition and rental of public housing. "This is a challenge that the entire European Union must take on," Collboni emphasized at a press conference.

The mayor of the Catalan capital welcomed the fact that they have "already managed" to put the housing crisis on the European Union's agenda and welcomed the fact that Brussels plans to present its housing plan this December. Also noteworthy is the fact that the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, highlighted it as one of her priorities in her State of the Union address, which kicks off the EU's political year.

Furthermore, the President of the European Council noted that it will be discussed at the European summit of EU heads of state and government to be held at the end of next month in Brussels. "To strengthen social cohesion and our democratic system, we need to address the housing crisis," said the Socialist leader.

Collboni, who regretted not being able to speak in Catalan at the press conference held at the EU Council, also assured that the proposal that the European Commission will present in the coming months "is based" on the roadmap that the coalition of 17 mayors that make up Mayors for Housing presented in May. The mayor of Barcelona expressed optimism that the EU will end up allocating funds directly to housing. "We're on the right track," he insisted, assuring that Barcelona City Council technicians and those from the European Housing Department are in constant contact.

Specifically, the coalition of mayors called for an item explicitly dedicated to housing in the next European budget from 2028 to 2034, which would be unprecedented, and for it to mobilize public-private investment of around €300 billion annually. This time, however, they avoided discussing exact figures.

More regulation

The coalition of 17 mayors, which also includes Liberal and Green leaders, also calls for increased regulation at the European level, particularly with regard to tourist apartments. This way, in a context of rising far-right sentiment, large European cities—generally governed by more progressive forces than state governments—would have legal protection when it comes to controlling and curbing housing used for tourism.

Along the same lines, Collboni has insisted that he hopes the European Union will eventually create the label "stressed areas," where special housing legislation can be applied and where they will have priority for funding. These areas of large cities would have to meet certain requirements related to the increase in sales or rental prices in relation to the CPI, the rate of households experiencing housing overburden, and, among other things, waiting lists for access to social or affordable housing.