Brussels politicians are sometimes accused of being far from the citizens' everyday lives. In fact, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has a special feeling for which issues concern the Europeans. She does not hesitate to deliver European proposals in areas that are actually the responsibility of the member states.
Now Brussels has taken the lead when it comes to giving more Europeans a roof over their heads.
- Housing is not just a commodity, but a fundamental right and a cornerstone of human dignity. But all over Europe there is a palpable sense of injustice, said von der Leyen in an attention-grabbing speech last year.
Unlike the EU top, who disposes of a family estate in German Lower Saxony, most Europeans have not inherited their housing. In attractive areas, they compete in a more or less dysfunctional market marked by skyrocketing prices and housing shortages.
- In many countries, the housing issue has been a major issue in the national elections. It has now spread to the EU, says housing researcher Anna Granath Hansson, at the research institute Nordregio.
For the first time, the EU has got its own housing commissioner, the Dane Dan JĂžrgensen. Already last winter, he presented a plan to produce more housing at an affordable price.
On Wednesday, the next step was taken when a first sharp bill was presented, the Affordable Housing Act.
- We are in a housing crisis and now we have to act, JĂžrgensen said at a press conference in Brussels.
In a first step, the EU wants to help local authorities intervene against holiday rentals in tourist resorts. That ordinary homes are rented out via services such as Airbnb and Vrbo is a red flag in many places.
Cities such as Paris, Barcelona and Venice have introduced local rules against short-term rentals, but this has often led to legal disputes and protracted negotiations. The EU is now putting forward rules that will apply throughout the Union.
- We are not against short-term rental as such. For some, it is an opportunity to travel to countries and cities they have not previously visited. For others, it is a welcome source of income. But in some cities, the increase in short-term rentals has forced ordinary people out of their homes and there has been an unacceptable increase in prices, said Dan JĂžrgensen.
In ten years, rents in Berlin have gone up by 69 percent, in Madrid by 59 percent and in Lisbon by 103 percent.
- Ordinary people with ordinary jobs - nurses, teachers, police officers - can no longer live where they have their jobs.
If people cannot move to where the jobs are, Europe's competitiveness is threatened, the Commission reasons.
The proposal means that local authorities can point out areas with a strained housing market, for example where the difference between housing prices and wages is large. In such cases, there must be more legal opportunities to introduce restrictions against short-term rentals.
The fact that housing policy has gained such a prominent role in Brussels is partly due to political cow trading. It was a demand from the parties on the left in the EU Parliament, which otherwise did not intend to release von der Leyen as Commission President.
- But she is also a Christian democrat and characterized by the idea that one should look after the welfare of the citizens. My interpretation is that she did not think it was such a difficult gift to give to the left-wing bloc, says housing researcher Anna Granath Hansson.
Critics grumble that the legislators and officials in Brussels have to solve things that the governments of the member states have failed to do. They fear that it will be expensive and bureaucratic when the EU interferes.
Sweden's government has so far taken a wait-and-see approach to the EU's plans.
Anna Granath Hansson believes that the Swedish housing supply will not be significantly affected. Even if the commission comes up with fairly sharp proposals, they will be more watered down when they are fully negotiated.
- In Sweden, they are very keen that it is a national competence that the EU should not meddle in. The Commission is aware that they are stepping into an area where there could be conflicts and all the writings that I have seen are very cautious. This is an offer that you can take up if you want, she says.
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