When: 21/02/2024 | 18:30
Where: Spinelli 1G2 | European Parliament, Brussels

The issue of social and youth housing is a serious social problem concerning the lack of access to decent and affordable housing, particularly acute in Greece, one of the 7 countries with the most severe homelessness problem in the EU.

There are several factors that create and aggravate the situation: Financial straightness to poverty for most households locally and across Europe, soaring construction costs and over-profits in the industry, short-term rentals and distorted tourism models, among others.  But the response cannot fail to include the implementation of policies and plans to alleviate and facilitate the social strata most affected and, in particular, young couples.

A number of countries such as Spain, Portugal, Belgium and the northern countries with a tradition of 'social housing' are strengthening their policies, particularly in recent years. At the same time, they are undertaking bold construction initiatives, investing a large part of the resources of the Recovery Fund and other sources to address the problem. In contrast, in Greece, policy on the issue is non-existent and the resources spent, national or Community, are nil.

In the European Parliament we are organising an event on 21 February 2024 to highlight the problem, the policies that are being pursued at EU level, the resources that are being spent, the way it affects the younger generations. But also the perspectives such as the footprint in terms of environmental sustainability and urban regeneration, as opposed to the negative reality in Greece.

-Is a common European policy on the issue feasible and necessary, or should society be left to the will of each Member State government?

-Can unused public property be part of the solution? Can municipalities, regions and non-profit organisations play a role in public, social or cooperative schemes?

These and many other answers will be provided by politicians and parties that have implemented successful models, professors, researchers, European and national institutions, and the results of a study carried out by the European Parliament's Research Centre, on the initiative of Stelios Kouloglou, will be presented.

If you wish to participate in our event scheduled for Wednesday, 21 February 2024, you have to fill in the online form. All fields are required to be filled in. Please use only CAPITAL LATIN letters.

This data is required by the European Parliament services. In case of a problem, you can send us your personal details by e-mail to stelios.kouloglou@europarl.europa.eu 

You will all receive a confirmation of your registration along with instructions on how to enter the EP on the 20th of February. If you do not receive any e-mail by us, please contact us as of the 20th of February onwards.

Stelios Kouloglou
Member of the European Parliament