Source: European Parliament
Access to social housing or housing assistance for those in need is a principle enshrined in the European Pillar of Social Rights[1]. To achieve structural improvements and to support Member States in addressing barriers for affordable housing, the Commission will launch a European Affordable Housing Plan.
It will offer technical assistance to cities and Member States, foster investments and strengthen skills in the housing sector. A European strategy for housing construction and a pan-European investment platform for affordable and sustainable housing will be part of the Plan.
‘My Home II’, a public investment measure supporting individuals and families with up to a certain income to finance the purchase of an accommodation, is included in the Greek recovery and resilience plan (RRP)[2].
It provides Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) loans (EUR 1 billion) at beneficial interest rates via the intermediation of commercial banks to private households.
It is accompanied by the RRF-financed ‘Upgrade my home’ programme (EUR 300 million) for increasing the energy efficiency of existing accommodations. In addition, the Greek RRP contains the investment measure ‘Energy renovation on residential buildings’ or ‘Exoikonomo’ which aims to support 105 000 renovations, with primary energy savings of at least 30%.
It also foresees actions targeting households eligible for the ‘social residential tariff’ with a higher support level, and other actions benefitting at least 50 000 vulnerable households. The Commission has no evidence suggesting that these RRF investments have an impact on house prices or prices in the construction sector.
As to auctioning of social housing, the re-establishment of the Workers’ Housing Organisation and other national actions, the primary responsibility for housing policies and investments remains with Member States.
- [1] https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies-and-activities/european-pillar-social-rights-building-fairer-and-more-inclusive-european-union_en
- [2] https://commission.europa.eu/business-economy-euro/economic-recovery/recovery-and-resilience-facility/country-pages/greeces-recovery-and-resilience-plan_en