EU to take more active role in addressing housing challenges, Michael McGrath says 

Former Cork TD and current EU Commissioner Michael McGrath has said that the European Union are looking to take a more active role in housing, which has typically been for individual national governments to handle.

Speaking at the Construction Industry Federation (CIF)’s Southern Construct Summit on Thursday at Clayton Hotel Silversprings, Mr McGrath explained: “Housing is rising up the political agenda at a European level quite quickly, in terms of the level of priority and the action’s we’re taking now as a commission.

“Ireland’s experience is far from unique” across Europe, he said, explaining that many other EU countries were also experiencing housing shortages, but that the causes and specifics varied.

“It isn’t just Ireland – Spain, Portugal and Greece had all seen very significant increase in rental costs and Germany has seen a severe shortage in the construction output of urban apartments “A declining population in many member states creates delivery challenges, but this is not the case in Ireland. Our population growth has created a deficit whereby supply has not kept pace with demand.” 

Mr McGrath, who is the European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law, and Consumer Protection said that lack of affordable housing was a social issue, and that the European Commission recognised that ensuring access to affordable housing was “at the core of a strong Europe, and an issue directly related to democracy, as it’s measured by the opportunity of every citizen to live in dignity.” 

He explained that providing member states with funding to make their homes energy efficient was one key thing the EU could do, but that the EU were looking at how to go even further while respecting the principles of subsidiaries.

“For the first time ever, there’s an EU Commissioner on housing, he’s very hands on, very practical and very ambitious and he’s hoping to publish the first ever European affordable housing plan in the first half of next year,” he said, adding that they are currently preparing a European strategy on housing construction also, which will address digitalisation in construction, labour shortages, short term lets and bringing vacant properties back into use.

As well as these actions at commission level, the parliamentary branch of the EU has also launched a special committee on the issue who are planning public consultation with authorities, experts and citizens across the EU, particularly young people.