On the occasion of these European elections, Build Europe intends to play a key role through its Manifesto on the theme of housing, especially affordable housing. It is essential for the Association to mobilise all European actors on such a theme that is at the heart of the concerns of European citizens, and this in all Member States. This Manifesto is an integral part of the transformation of the Association, whose action is, according to its President Marc Pigeon, above all “to respond to the social and environmental aspirations of society. It is this ability to meet the challenges of today that gives legitimacy to Build Europe’s actions.”

The Manifesto explores the challenges European citizens face in finding housing that meets their expectations. This challenge is all the more difficult to resolve because it is a question of taking into account the aspirations of the European citizens for housing in sufficient quantity, at an affordable price and where the demand is the strongest. Build Europe does not claim to offer a single solution, which can be applied uniformly to the European territory. On the contrary, it proposes a range of complementary solutions, which take into account the question of housing in a new holistic perspective, no longer thought of in isolation of what makes the living environment of Europeans: employment, education, culture, mobility, environment and planning.

For Filiep Loosveldt, Managing Director of Build Europe, “the Manifesto responds to issues common to European countries. We offer solutions to meet the growing demand for affordable housing and the necessary mobilisation of private financing to support public policies.”

Among the fifteen proposals, Build Europe suggests including a five-year moratorium on any new regulations that have an impact on the cost of new housing; to urge the Member States to ban over-transposition of European Directives; and, in the context of the European Semester, make recommendations on housing in Europe.

Marc Pigeon concludes: “Solutions can only work if European and national politicians realize the extent of the housing crisis in Europe, the solution will necessarily involve cooperation and private and public actors to respond to the expectations of our fellow citizens.”