Europe’s housing costs akin to ‘new pandemic’, warns Barcelona mayor

The spiralling cost of housing is like a “new pandemic” gripping Europe, Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni has warned, as he and 16 other city leaders called on the EU to release billions in funding for the worst-affected areas. The appeal comes ahead of the bloc’s first-ever housing plan, due to be presented on Tuesday.

Collboni, who launched the Mayors for Housing alliance last year, described the crisis as an unprecedented internal threat, urging EU institutions to respond with extraordinary funding, similar to the Covid response, to boost affordable housing. The alliance, representing over 20 million people, says rising property prices and rents have deepened inequality and strained social cohesion.

Mayors from cities across Europe are now pushing for an EU-backed affordable housing fund, aiming to mobilise at least €300 billion a year in public and private investment, and are seeking a formal role in shaping policy.

via The Guardian