On 27 March, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen met with youth representatives in Brussels for a Housing Youth Policy Dialogue, organised in partnership with Generation Climate Europe. The participants drawn from a cross-section of student representatives, social policy, architecture, and urban planning brought diverse yet unified perspectives to the table.
The discussion revealed a common purpose between the Commissioner and youth advocates on Pillar Four of the European Affordable Housing Plan, which targets support for those most severely impacted by the housing crisis. Of particular concern was the exclusion of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, who face barriers to education, traineeships, and employment with far reaching economic and social consequences. Housing speculation, the financialisation of housing and rental rights were also key issues brought to the fore.
Commissioner Jørgensen reiterated the urgency of mobilising increased investment into student housing through the InvestEU programme and the Pan-European Investment Platform, as outlined in action 9 of the European Affordable Housing Plan.
The participants urged for the implementation of a number of other actions in the plan including, assessing the feasibility of a rental guarantee scheme to reduce or eliminate the need for a security deposit, a Pilot scheme under Erasmus+ for mobile students from disadvantaged backgrounds and more innovative accommodation models for students and young people as well as targeted schemes to improve their access to housing.
Critically, the dialogue was recognised as a starting point, not the conclusion. Through the dialogue participants were witness to the energy of European youth and the unique power of the EU’s spirit of cooperation and collaboration. Young people are at the table and are not waiting for solutions, they are committed to driving them. Summing up the discussion, youth representatives were clear, “the housing crisis will not be solved for us, but with us.”
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