76 Amendments of Pierfrancesco MAJORINO related to 2019/2187(INI)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 22
Citation 22
— having regard to its resolution of 30 November02 March 201720 on implementation of the EuropeanU Disability Strategy post 202011 , __________________ 11 OJ C 356, 4.1002.03.201820, p. 110. 11
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 33 a (new)
Citation 33 a (new)
- having regard to the United Nations Report of 26 December 2019 on Guidelines for the Implementation of the Right to Adequate Housing of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context,
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 33 a (new)
Citation 33 a (new)
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 33 a (new)
Citation 33 a (new)
- having regard to the May 2020 LGBTI Survey II conducted by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 33 b (new)
Citation 33 b (new)
- having regard to the European Citizens' Initiative “Housing for all”,20a __________________ 20a https://www.housingforall.eu/
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 33 c (new)
Citation 33 c (new)
- having regard to the June 2020 European Commission Study “Legal gender recognition in the EU: the journeys of trans people towards full equality”;1a __________________ 1a https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/le gal_gender_recognition_in_the_eu_the_j ourneys_of_trans_people_towards_full_e quality_web.pdf
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas, as stated in article 151 TFEU, the Union and the Member States, having in mind fundamental social rights such as those set out in the European Social Charter signed at Turin on 18 October 1961 and in the 1989 Community Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers, shall have as their objectives the promotion of employment, improved living and working conditions, so as to make possible their harmonisation while the improvement is being maintained, proper social protection, dialogue between management and labour, the development of human resources with a view to lasting high employment and the combating of exclusion;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas, according to Article 36 of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights, the Union recognises and respects access to services of general economic interest as provided for in national laws and practices, in accordance with the Treaties, in order to promote the social and territorial cohesion of the Union; whereas services of general interest are services that public authorities of the Member States classify as being of general interest and, therefore, are subject to specific public service obligations and they can be provided either by the State or by the private sector; whereas these services include social housing in the category of social services of general interest, as those services responding to the needs of vulnerable citizens, and based on the principles of solidarity and equal access; whereas, the Commission Communication on the Quality Framework for Services of General Interest (SGI) in the EU ensures access to essential services for all citizens and promotes quality in the field of social services;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Ac. whereas the European Commission has an important number of competences related to housing market, among which we highlight: banking supervision, monetary policy, loans, mortgages, debt settlement procedures, intervention capacity in case of financial bubbles, public cost of social financing of housing and non-performing loans (NPLs);
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)
Recital A d (new)
Ad. whereas the national, regional and local authorities of the Member States have the obligation to define their own housing policy and to take the necessary measures to ensure that this fundamental right is respected in their housing markets, in accordance with the needs of their inhabitants, so that each citizen can access decent and affordable housing;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A e (new)
Recital A e (new)
Ae. whereas according to Protocol 26 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the performance of SGEI tasks, such as the provision of social and affordable housing, should be based on specific national, regional or locally entrusted missions that reflect the needs and proportional support to housing and communities;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A f (new)
Recital A f (new)
Af. whereas housing market failures endanger social cohesion in Europe, increase homelessness and poverty, and drop the confidence in democracy; whereas, to address all these challenges, national and local authorities must be able to adopt adequate housing policies, including State aid measures, to create conditions and support for investments in social and affordable housing;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A g (new)
Recital A g (new)
Ag. whereas private developers and investors are dominating housing systems in an unprecedented fashion, often divorcing housing from its social function by treating it as a commodity for speculation; whereas some national practices have facilitated and encouraged the change in the role of the private sector in housing, for instance by providing tax breaks to real estate speculators, tax advantages for homeowners and “golden visas” to foreign investors, or through the deregulation of rental markets; whereas, through legislative measures, policies and programmes, many States have treated housing as a commodity for trading and speculation, rather than as a social good and a human right;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the EU is confronted with a housing crisis, with growing numbers of people living in the EU in low or medium income brackets face affordability limits, an excessive housing cost burden and unhealthy, low-quality, energy-inefficient or overcrowded housing situations, or are homeless or at risk of eviction; (17.1% of the EU-27 population lived in overcrowded dwellings), or are homeless or at risk of eviction (4.3% of the population experienced severe housing deprivation)20b; __________________ 20bhttps://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics- explained/index.php/Housing_statistics
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas housing prices have been steadily growing on an year-on-year basis and at a faster rate than disposable income; whereas housing is now the highest expenditure for Europeans citizens;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
Bc. whereas inadequate housing, as estimated by Eurofound, costs the EU’s economies 195 billion euros, annually;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B d (new)
Recital B d (new)
Bd. whereas real estate speculative acquisitions play a prominent role in the continuing escalation of housing prices;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) addresses in its Principle 19 the issues of housing assistance and homelessness and considering that the Commission has announced that will present an action plan to implement it by February 2021;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas, according to Eurostat, there is a shortage of social, affordable and accessible housing; (9.6 % of the EU-27 population lived in households that spent 40 % or more of their equivalised disposable income on housing)20c; __________________ 20chttps://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics- explained/index.php/Housing_statistics#H ousing_affordability
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas the increase in the housing cost overburden rate in the EU has been most notable in the bottom quintile (up 2.1% since 2005); whereas according to Eurostat and Council of Europe Development Bank, housing overburden cost rates dropped for the top two income (i.e. highest income quintiles) have decreased compared to 2008, the situation is the opposite for the bottom quintile; whereas, for the third bottom quintiles, the housing cost overburden is still higher than in 2005;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas public investment in social housing has declined in recent years; whereas social housing spending (transfers and capital) by governments represents just 0.66% of European GDP, low by recent historical levels and on a downward trend;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
Ec. whereas countries that apply a universalistic model of social housing tend to have large housing sectors, all with the overarching aim to promote social mixing so as to prevent socio- economic based segregation; whereas the level of public spending on social housing related expenditure in Europe varies among countries, with some countries placing more emphasis on public housing support than others; whereas spending on social housing relative to other areas of public spending tends to be lower in many countries; whereas, however, the need for social housing has become ever more important (especially in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis) as lower-income individuals face increased financial pressures regarding housing;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas inadequate housing conditions negatively affect not only people’s physical and mental health, wellbeing, and quality of life and dignity but also their access to employment and to other economic and social services;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the housing crisis is happening in both wealthy and less wealthy countries, fuelling social exclusion and spatial segregation, disproportionately affecting the working poor, elderly people living alone, single- parent families, young people trying to set up their households, people with disabilities, migrants and refugees, among others;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas, according to the European Commission, households with children are generally at a higher risk of severe housing deprivation than the general population, and the proportion of children living in an overcrowded household was higher for income-poor children than for the general population (in most countries, children from this group are also proportionally more likely to suffer from insufficient heating) and accessibility of social housing is a barrier for income-poor children due to an insufficient supply of social housing, leading to long waiting times; whereas housing benefits and rent subsidies are often not sufficient to cover actual housing costs and, in some countries, very strict criteria prevent access to housing benefits for vulnerable groups; whereas inadequacies such as the inability to keep homes adequately warm still affect a substantial proportion of the population in most member states; whereas appropriately, heated housing with safe water and sanitation or housing in general is a key element for children’s health and well-being, contributing to a favourable environment for their growth and development; whereas adequate housing is also conducive for children’s learning and studying 20d; __________________ 20d Feasibility study for a Child Guarantee: Target Group Discussion Paper on Children living in Precarious Family Situations
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas the Commission has announced an upcoming LGBTI Equality Strategy to be adopted by Q4 2020;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)
Recital G b (new)
Gb. whereas the LGBTI Survey II conducted by FRA highlights that 1 in 5 LGBTI persons experience homelessness and housing exclusion, 1 in 3 trans persons experience homelessness and 39% of intersex persons experience homelessness; whereas the results highlight that more than a third (37%) of LGBTI persons felt discriminated in areas of life other than work, and that 1 in 10 LGBTI persons (11%) experienced discrimination in looking for a house or an apartment to buy or rent (by people working in private or public housing agencies or a landlord);
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)
Recital G b (new)
Gb. whereas gas and energy market is one of the most profitable business in the world but almost 7% of households in the EU are unable to pay utility bills20e; __________________ 20e https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/product s-eurostat-news/-/DDN-20200120-1
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G c (new)
Recital G c (new)
Gc. whereas the European Commission study on legal gender recognition in the EU highlights discrimination against trans and gender non-conforming persons in access to the housing market, including losing homes due to the divorce requirement of some gender recognition processes in the EU, and that access to legal gender recognition increases trans person’s likelihood of finding housing in cases where their documents match their gender expression;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G c (new)
Recital G c (new)
Gc. whereas decarbonization of the EU economy in 2050 is a common objective in the fight against climate change and buildings energy, heating and cooling, is one of its major causes;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G d (new)
Recital G d (new)
Gd. whereas homelessness is a profound assault on dignity, social inclusion and the right to life and it is a violation of the right to housing and a number of other human rights in addition to the right to life, including non- discrimination, health, water and sanitation, security of the person and freedom from cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment; whereas homeless persons and persons living in informal housing are frequently subject to criminalization, harassment and discriminatory treatment because of their housing status, they are denied access to sanitation facilities, rounded up and driven from communities and subjected to extreme forms of violence;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G d (new)
Recital G d (new)
Gd. whereas the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe recommended to Member States in CM/Rec(2010)5 that measures should be taken to ensure that access to adequate housing can be effectively and equally enjoyed by all persons, without discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity; whereas it recommended additionally that appropriate attention should be paid to the risks of homelessness experienced by LGBTI persons, including young persons and children who may be particularly vulnerable to social exclusion, including from their own families;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G e (new)
Recital G e (new)
Ge. whereas refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, especially those who are undocumented, internally displaced persons, stateless persons, persons with disabilities, children and youth, indigenous peoples, women, LGBTI persons, older persons and members of racial, ethnic and religious minorities are disproportionately represented among those living in homelessness, in informal accommodation and inadequate housing, and are often relegated to the most marginal and unsafe areas, and that they often experience intersectional discrimination as a result of their housing status;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G f (new)
Recital G f (new)
Gf. whereas forced evictions are defined as the permanent or temporary removal against their will of individuals, families and/or communities from the homes and/or land which they occupy, without the provision of, and access to, appropriate forms of legal or other protection that are compliant with international human rights law; whereas forced evictions have long been recognized as a gross violation of human rights;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G g (new)
Recital G g (new)
Gg. whereas the citizens’ initiative “Housing for all” calls on the European Commission to ensure easier access for all to social and affordable housing, not applying the Maastricht criteria to public investment in social and affordable housing, better access to EU funding for non-profit and sustainable housing developers, social, competition-based rules for short-term rentals and the compilation of statistics on housing needs in Europe;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G h (new)
Recital G h (new)
Gh. whereas Eurofound’s COVID-19 survey showed that in April 2020 38% of respondents had already seen their financial situation worsen, 47% reported difficulties in making ends meet – a figure rising to 87% among unemployed individuals; whereas among them, close to 30% were already in arrears in relation to utility bills and 22% on rent or mortgage payments with one fifth fearing for the stability of their accommodation due to rent arrears20f; __________________ 20f https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/topic/co vid-19
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G i (new)
Recital G i (new)
Gi. whereas Eurofound research shows that in 2016, 14% of people in the EU28 reported to have had arrears because they were unable to make payments as scheduled related to rent or mortgages, consumer credit, loans from friends or family, or utility or telephone bills; whereas if the proportion of people with difficulties (or great difficulties) making ends meet, but without any arrears (yet) is included, 21% are at risk of over-indebtedness20g; __________________ 20g https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publicat ions/report/2020/addressing-household- over-indebtedness
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G j (new)
Recital G j (new)
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading -1 a (new)
Subheading -1 a (new)
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Highlights that the right to adequate housing has been recognized as a fundamental human right because it is integral to core human rights values such as dignity, equality, inclusion, wellbeing, security of the person and public participation; therefore, calls on the Commission and the Member States to make sure that the right to adequate housing and its progressive realisation is recognized and enforceable as a fundamental human right through applicable European and national legislative provisions;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 a (new)
Paragraph -1 a (new)
-1a. Believes that the right to housing should not be narrowly defined as access to social housing, but in a wider meaning, as the right to live in a home in peace, security and dignity, and include security of tenure, availability of services, affordability, habitability, accessibility and appropriate location;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 b (new)
Paragraph -1 b (new)
-1b. Stresses that the EU and its Member States have an obligation towards citizens to ensure their universal access to decent, affordable housing in accordance with fundamental rights such as Articles 16, 30 and 31 of the European Social Charter and the European Pillar of Social Rights; highlights that investments in social and affordable housing are crucial in order to ensure and improve the living quality for all EU citizens;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 c (new)
Paragraph -1 c (new)
-1c. Highlights that the current housing crisis is linked to growing socioeconomic inequality, large-scale financialization of housing and land and unsustainable housing systems that treat housing as a commodity; believes that the housing crisis is a human rights crisis requiring a human rights response; emphasizes that adequate policies and measures that support an adequate supply of housing are crucial to balance and enhance the economic development of housing to benefit the whole society and ensure affordable and thriving living environment for all;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 e (new)
Paragraph -1 e (new)
-1e. Regrets that a large part of European population cannot access adequate housing and that increasing utility prices, housing costs and housing exclusions especially in profit-oriented and speculative parts of the sector, social segregation, economic marginalisation of low and middle-income groups have negative consequences for the population of the EU and of Members States;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 f (new)
Paragraph -1 f (new)
-1f. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to make housing a cornerstone of European policies;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 g (new)
Paragraph -1 g (new)
-1g. Believes that measures taken must be deliberate, concrete and targeted towards the fulfilment of the right to housing within a reasonable time frame and that Member States must allocate sufficient resources and prioritize the needs of disadvantaged and marginalized individuals or groups living in precarious housing conditions and ensure transparent and participatory decision- making; therefore, calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure the provision of sufficient adequate and affordable social housing to cover the housing needs of the three bottom quintiles of society and reduce by half the overburden housing costs of these groups by 2030; calls on the Commission and the Member States to implement a standard that at least 30% of all new houses should be affordable housing for lower-income group, and at least 30% affordable housing for the middle-income group;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that electricity suppliers assume protection schemes to guarantee the domestic energy supply of those most in need, since the access to basic utility services such as water, electricity and sanitation is essential for meeting sustainable development goals;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Calls on the Commission to strengthen the agreement achieved towards the decarbonization of the EU economy in the framework of the legislation related to energy in private and public buildings;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls on the Commission to support circular economy in the construction sector: sustainable and low- carbon construction standards must be followed, and the use of renewable energy and materials free of harmful chemicals and substances that affect the health of residents must be specified;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Highlights that more environmentally friendly homes that are built to be more energy efficient, that utilise more renewables and are constructed with more environmentally sustainable and durable materials will create both wide social (reduced CO2 emissions, better air quality) and individual economic benefits (less money spent on heating and energy); calls on the Commission and the Member States to introduce green social housing in their housing investment plans, including social housing sustainability criteria as well as other aspects like the provision of access to recreational facilities, community centres, parks and green spaces, as a way to improve living conditions of the inhabitants; insists that as part of sustainable social housing, investments should be geared to finance both the building of physical community- based infrastructure (community centres, sport facilities, etc.) and support for community programmes;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the Member States to implement the Housing First program as an integrated strategy to combat homelessness combining supportive housing with social services and integration into the labour market for homeless people; emphasizes the need for inter-ministerial, intergovernmental collaboration in the development and implementation of such strategies, as well as the participation of key stakeholders, in particular people affected by homelessness and organizations working with the homeless people;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the Commission to specifically address LGBTI homelessness in its upcoming LGBTI Equality Strategy, particularly regarding youth, to create tools for enhanced data collection, to foster research across the EU and to facilitate the exchange of approaches to tackle the problem of LGBTI people experiencing homelessness between member states;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Calls on the Commission to provide financial support for young people moving to independent living, improving access to information on funds for affordable housing and ensuring that the revised Youth Guarantee contributes to tackling youth homelessness, which is increasing in many EU countries;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Reminds the Commission and the Member States that the right to adequate housing has a particular meaning for persons with disabilities and that the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities imposes obligations on them, such as the rights to reasonable accommodation, living independently and being included in the community; warns that the disproportionate number of persons with disabilities living in homelessness constitutes a violation of the substantive right to equality and must be addressed as such; calls on the Commission and the Member States to improve the access to housing for people with disabilities;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4d. Recalls that social distancing and quarantine due to Covid-19 have had a dramatic impact in the number of cases of violence against women; recalls that women’s economic independence has been proved to be a key tool to tackle gender-based violence; calls therefore on the Commission to provide financial support for women victims of gender- based violence moving to independent living enhancing access to information on funds for affordable housing, as a way to improve their economic independence and their standard of living;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Reiterates its call for an end to the criminalisation of homeless people; calls on the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights for greater monitoring of hate crimes and incidents motivated by aporophobia; calls on the Member States to establish mechanisms in their public policies to guarantee the safety of homeless people; and to introduce aporophobia in their public security policies as a hate crimes; calls on the Commission and the Member States to prohibit and address discrimination on the ground of homelessness or other housing status and repeal all laws and measures that criminalize or penalize homeless people or behaviour associated with being homeless, such as sleeping or eating in public spaces, as well as to prohibit the forced eviction of homeless persons from public spaces and the destruction of their personal belongings;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls for a comprehensive and integrated anti-poverty strategy with a designated poverty reduction target, including for child poverty; calls for a European framework for minimum income schemes that takes into account the share of housing expenditure in the average disposable income in each Member State;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure children’s right to adequate housing, including related support to parents having difficulties with keeping or accessing a house in order to remain with their children and paying particular attention to young adults exiting child welfare institutions; in this sense, calls on the Commission to present the proposal for a swift adoption of the European Child Guarantee to ensure every child in Europe access to free quality education, childcare, healthcare, decent housing and adequate nutrition, and with a dedicated budget of 20 billion;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Calls for a single definition of homelessness in the EU which would enable the systematic comparison and assessment of the extent of homelessness across different EU countries; and would allow homelessness rates to be systematically monitored at EU level via institutions such as Eurostat;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Recalls that residents of informal settlements often face discrimination and stigmatization, and are frequently treated as violators of laws rather than being recognized as rights holders who require support to improve their housing status; reminds the Commission and the Member States that, under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, they have committed themselves to ensuring access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and to upgrading informal settlements (target 11.1 of the Sustainable Development Goals);
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Warns that in order for any eviction to comply with international human rights law, a number of criteria must be met, including meaningful engagement with those affected, exploration of all viable alternatives, relocation to adequate housing agreed upon by the affected households so that no one is rendered homeless, access to justice to ensure procedural fairness, and compliance with all human rights; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that where these criteria are not met, evictions are deemed to have been forced and to constitute a violation of the right to housing; demands that forced evictions as defined under international human rights law are prohibited in all circumstances, regardless of ownership or tenure status of those affected and that victims of forced evictions must receive adequate compensation, reparation and access to housing or productive land as appropriate;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Recalls that EU policies, funding programmes and financing instruments have a great impact on housing markets, in the quality of the housing stock and in citizens’ lives; calls on the Commission to develop an integrated strategy for social, public and affordable housing at EU level to ensure the provision of safe, accessible and affordable quality housing for all whilst taking into account the diversity of policies across the Member States, both at national and local level; stresses that the Commission can have an important impact on national housing policies, especially through competition policies related to the concept of “Services of General Economic Interest” (SGEI) and the application of State aid rules;
Amendment 250 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Acknowledges that there is no agreed common definition of social housing at EU level; however, warns that a narrow definition of social housing by limiting it only to “housing for disadvantaged citizens or socially less advantaged groups, which due to solvability constraints are unable to obtain housing at market conditions” is restrictive and hinders the Member States competence to define their SGEI and SGI; therefore, supports a wide notion of social housing as a universalistic model, where social housing is intended for all citizens with the aim of developing socially mixed neighbourhoods;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the inclusion of housing affordability in the European Semester; urges the Commission to ensure that all country-specific recommendations contribute positively to the implementation of the principles of the EPSR; stresses the need to refine the House Price Index indicator and to set the reference threshold for the housing cost overburden rate at no higher than 25 % of the disposable income of a household; states that National Affordable Housing Plans should be included in the National Reform Programmes, and demands the Commission and Member States to establish specific strategies to address obstacles to the right to housing such as discrimination, financialization, speculation, predatory lending, land grabbing, conflict, forced evictions, environmental degradation and vulnerability to disasters; calls on the Commission to take into account the reality of socio-economic situation of EU citizens and revise Eurostat's definition of housing cost overload costs from 40% to 25% which is already one fourth of the disposable income of a household;
Amendment 305 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes with concern the increased financialisation of the housing market, in particular in cities, whereby investors treat housing as a tradable asset rather than a social asset and a human right; calls on the Commission to assess the contribution of EU policies and regulations to financialisation of the housing market and the ability of national and local authorities to ensure the right to housing and, where appropriate, to put forward legislative proposals to counter financialisation of the housing market by mid-2021; calls on the Member States and local authorities to put in place taxation measures to counter speculative investment, as well as the perpetuation of unclaimed and derelict dwellings, and to develop urban and rural planning policies that favour affordable housing, social mix and social cohesion;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Points out that the expansive growth of short-term holiday rental is extracting housing from the market and driving up prices, and has a negative impact on liveability; calls on the Commission to set up a regulatory framework for short-term accommodation rental that gives wide discretion to national and local authoo define proportionate rules for hospitality services avoiding "touristies to define proportionate rules for hospitality servicefication" and depletion of urban centres to the detriment of residents; urges the Commission to include in the Digital Services Act a proposal for mandatory information-sharing obligations for platforms in the short-term accommodation rental market, in line with data protection rules;
Amendment 322 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Calls on the Commission to promote tenants’ participation when deciding about the standard and costs of renovation; believes that public funding should be based on projects where a thorough participation of tenants in planning and execution have been guaranteed;
Amendment 323 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Calls on the Commission to promote the model of housing cost neutrality (entailing rents, energy costs and local taxes) since it combines social and climate goals and prevents ”renovictions”(evictions by renovation), ensuring that rent increases are fully balanced by energy-savings;
Amendment 324 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)
Paragraph 16 c (new)
16c. Calls on the Commission to promote the establishment of local rental price control systems in order to ensure the affordability of housing and tenancies on the rental market for dwellings drawing inspiration from the best European models and exchanging good practices;
Amendment 325 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 d (new)
Paragraph 16 d (new)
16d. Reminds the Commission and Member States that failing to regulate the real estate market and the financial actors operating on that market so as to ensure access to affordable and adequate housing for all, would mean non compliance with their obligations with respect to the right to housing; calls on the Commission and the Member States to make sure that they regulate the real- estate market in a way that it produces sufficient affordable housing, that housing is not left vacant and that some of the profits from housing or other economic activities are redirected to ensure the availability of adequate housing for low-income and middle- income households, and that these measures include preventing any privatization of public or social housing that would reduce the capacity of the State to ensure the right to adequate housing, maintaining a rental regulatory framework that preserves security of tenure and affordable housing for tenants, including through rent caps, controls or rent freezes where needed, requiring full and public disclosure of all investments in residential housing to help prevent corruption, money-laundering, tax evasion and tax avoidance, imposing taxes on residential real estate and land speculation to curb the short-term resale of properties and on residential real estate left vacant and removing preferential tax breaks on real estate investment trusts;
Amendment 326 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 e (new)
Paragraph 16 e (new)
16e. Stresses that SGEI in housing should be principally guided by specific national, regional or local requirements, since local authorities have the competence to identify and address the housing needs and living conditions of various groups; recalls that EU competition rules can be exempted if the performance of certain housing Services of Economic General Interest (SGEI) require this; calls for the housing sector to be included in the Social Services of General Interest, and not only social housing, as this is essential to guarantee the right to affordable and decent housing for all;
Amendment 327 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 f (new)
Paragraph 16 f (new)
16f. Recalls that social housing is the only sector in the SGEI Decision for which the European Commission mentions a target group (disadvantaged citizens or socially less advantaged groups) and that this is not the case with hospitals and other social services; believes that this may limit the adoption of SGEI policies to deliver social and affordable housing for all and may hinder the promotion of social mix, diversity of habitat, housing tenure neutrality and sustainable urban development; ask the Commission to revise the EU state aid rules to broaden the target group of affordable housing in order to guarantee supply of sufficient affordable housing for all;
Amendment 348 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to further increase investment in the EU in affordable and energy-efficient social housing and in tackling homelessness and housing exclusion, through the European Regional Development Fund, the Just Transition Fund, InvestEU, ESF+, Horizon Europe and Next Generation EU, Recovery and Resilience Facility, Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative (CRII) & Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative Plus (CRII+), and to ensure greater synergies between those instruments;
Amendment 356 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Calls on the Commission to re- establish the network of Housing Focal Points of the Member States in order to ensure a mechanism for the exchange of information and knowledge and to scale- up monitoring of affordable housing need and policies in the European Union Member States, including cities and Regions;
Amendment 359 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Calls on the Commission to recognise, support and funding Community Land Trusts and other forms of community led, democratic, and collaborative housing as legitimate and viable means to provide market and social housing, and encourage Member States to recognise them;
Amendment 360 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Calls on the Commission to push for a sustainable approach of the urban land use, for instance given priority to the rehabilitation of abandoned houses over the creation of new ones (same with industrial areas);