From local action to EU strategy: Interview with the President of the European Committee of the Regions and the Chair of the Special Committee on the Housing Crisis of the European Parliament
On Wednesday, the European Newsroom (enr) sat down with Kata Tüttő, President of the European Committee of the Regions, and Irene Tinagli, MEP and Chair of the Special Committee on the Housing Crisis of the European Parliament to talk about the EU’s plans for more affordable housing.
Europe faces a crisis driven by rising house prices and increasing housing costs, affecting virtually all EU citizens and especially younger generations looking to move out of their parents’ home and live an independent life.
In an interview with the European Newsroom and Agence Europe, Tüttő and Tinagli laid out the challenges and sketched possible solutions, drawing on both their personal perspectives and institutional realities in their roles.
Journalists asked a range of questions from who does what — locally, nationally and on the EU level — in fixing the housing crunch, to the Commission’s Affordable Housing Plan and the high-pressure negotiations over the EU’s next long-term budget (2028–2034).
Housing policy is primarily a national and local responsibility, but the EU influences the sector through funding, regulation and coordination. EU rules on state aid, energy efficiency, public procurement and financial markets, as well as cohesion policy and recovery funds, all shape how and where affordable housing can be built.
In response to growing public pressure, the European Commission has put affordable housing higher on its political agenda, including through an Affordable Housing Plan. The initiative aims to boost housing supply, mobilise public and private investment and support member states and regions in expanding social and affordable housing.
More impressions from the interview. Photos: Ivan Ilic/Tanjug/European Newsroom
