Irene TINAGLI

Policy topics Irene TINAGLI is active on

What Irene TINAGLI has said (75)

• 2026-07-15 “Yes. Actually, I wanted to go back on the real estate market. I will give you the chance to further elaborate and continue what you were saying because indeed, we know that real estate is one of the most vulnerable sectors to money laundering. We have seen studies that show an impact in certain areas where you have the highest number of reports on AML, and you do see some impact on the prices. At the same time, there are specific AML challenges in dealing with real estate because it involves a very wide range of obliged entities whose rules and compliance practices differ across member states, as well as the use of complex ownership structures that can obscure the beneficial ownership. While real estate markets are largely national, we do see transactions that may involve cross-border activities, such as foreign investors, financing, or complex corporate structures. How does AMLA intend to use the tools provided by its mandate, including common risk assessment methodology, supervisory convergence, and enhanced data cooperation to foster a more consistent supervisory approach and better identify higher risk real estate transactions? While we are discussing this, do you think you would need further tools? Do you think that member states could do something more? Any suggestions on this would be really welcome as the Parliament is also looking deeply into housing and real estate.”
  Anti-money laundering regulation
• 2026-06-29 “The mission included meetings with the Minister of Housing, the Lord Mayor of Dublin. The joint. Committee. Housing stakeholders from the public, private and social sectors and Eurofound. The delegation observed that Ireland faces acute and structural housing pressures, particularly in Dublin, driven by high construction costs, limited social housing stock and rising homelessness, which reached a record level in early 2026. These challenges reflect a broader dynamics affecting many European cities, making the work of this committee directly relevant. Um, actually, you know, one thing that emerged, and I want to bring it up here, uh, because this could be relevant, uh, for you as well, is that some of the operators in the social housing and in particular in addressing homelessness. Homelessness, uh, noticed that most of the projects of the availability is targeted to families or couples. There is very little supply of social, uh, you know, supply for single people, uh, homeless. But it is a problem that requires probably some, uh, you know, targeted solution, especially as we are facing. And we are seeing that in many of the analyses of this committee, that one of the problems of the most fragile categories in, in housing crisis are single mothers, single fathers, or singles that find themselves maybe without a job, but or maybe they have a low paid job, but with one salary, you cannot afford to pay your rent, uh, in the city.”
  EU policy on urban development
• 2026-06-29 “So I think this is something that maybe we didn't, uh, you know, traditional solutions are not fit for this change in, uh, in society and in needs. But, you know, just wanted to put it out there. So a key focus was the financing of social and affordable housing stakeholders consistently highlighted the importance of long term European financing, particularly through the EIB, while calling for simpler and more direct access to EU funds at local level. So the delegation also heard about the defective concrete products crisis affecting an estimated 2000 or more Irish homes, a situation with a clear European regulatory dimension that the committee will follow up on. This also emerged in other meetings that we had. So the quality of the projects that we will undertake are also important. Members concluded that housing must remain a strategic priority for the EU, supported by long term financing, simplified access to EU funds and effective multi-level governance. So I think now we have completed. But just one more thing. Uh, if there are no further requests for the floor on the, on these topics, uh, I really would like to personally thank Tiana Bautovich yes, from the Secretariat, who will be leaving Parliament for some time. And she has helped us enormously and, uh, not last in the, in our, in our last mission. Thank you very much. And, uh, I personally, and we all wish, wish you every success and happiness in the months to come. Okay. We will be meeting again on July 13th, 2026.”
  EU housing policy
• 2026-06-29 “Hello, colleagues. Good afternoon. We can start our meeting. And as usual, we start with the adoption of the agenda. If there are no objections, the agenda is deemed adopted. Uh, before we start our meeting, a few preliminary remarks. Uh, please note that today's meeting is web streamed on Parliament's website and that we have interpretation in 15 languages. We also have to adopt the minutes of our meeting of June the 4th, 2026. If there are no objections, minutes are adopted. And now we move to the next point in our agenda. Uh, it is really my great pleasure to welcome you today to a public hearing on the role of national promotional banks and the European Investment Bank in addressing the housing crisis. Access to decent and affordable housing has become a privilege rather than a guarantee, for way too many people. And addressing this crisis requires mobilising investments at a scale that public budgets alone cannot deliver. So bridging the EU's housing investment gap requires public financial institutions to play a central and coordinated role. The investment gap in affordable housing across the union is estimated at €270 billion per year. So this public hearing today brings together representatives of European, national and local promotional banks from across the Union to examine how these institutions are responding to the challenge in practice. As mentioned, they will bring a European national but also local and municipal dimension to the discussion illustrating the types of institutions are playing a key role in financing affordable housing solutions. The discussion of today will focus on the concrete financing instruments that they deploy, the barriers they face in reaching municipalities and regions, and the role that they can play in delivering the pan-European investment platform that is envisaged by both the Parliament and the Commission. So without that, we are ready to begin our discussion. So I start by giving the floor to our first speaker, Elena Campello, head of Urban Development Division, Projects Directorate from the European Investment Bank. Mrs. Campello, you have 5 to 6 minutes.”
  EU policy on urban development
• 2026-06-29 “Thank you. Thank you very much for your intervention. So now I give the floor to Harun Tankovic, managing director of the funding department of the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Mr. Stankovic.”
  EU industrial funding (mechanism level: EU-pooled vs nationally-financed)
• 2026-06-29 “Okay. Thank you. Thank you very, very much. Now with this intervention, we conclude our public hearing on the role of national promotional banks and and the EIB in addressing the housing crisis. I think this gave us a very comprehensive picture of the scale and the consequences also of the housing investment gap across the European Union, and also possible ideas on how how to tackle that. Of course, the challenges are many, and here in this House we will try to do our part. Uh, right now, actually, we are in a in a debate and negotiations that, uh, directly is not related to housing, but indirectly. It's a lot related to housing, which is the negotiation on MFF. Uh, and also not only for the amount of resources available, but the structure as well. So as, uh, it's been, uh, as it has emerged in our conversation. So I hope that each one of us will be, you know, able to speak up in their, uh, domain of work to, uh, to, you know, let other colleagues and the commission and, uh, know how important it is to address this crisis and to have the proper instruments and resources. Because as it's been said, It is not only a social crisis, it is a competitiveness crisis, a strategic. It's a. It's a key strategic aspect for for our future. So thank you very much for your contribution and your interventions today. Now, before we close, uh. Yeah, our meeting today, I have to report, uh, I have a feedback from the mission to Dublin that, uh, we, uh, we just had at the end of, at the end of May, uh, the delegation visited Dublin to examine housing affordability and homelessness challenges, the role of approved housing bodies and private developers in housing delivery, and the contribution of EU financing instruments to Ireland's housing response.”
  EU policy on urban development
• 2026-06-24 “Thank you very much. Uh, I had one little short question myself, and then I give back the floor to the, uh, our guest speakers. Um, uh, this is particular for Mr., uh, Gebauer. Uh, they you mentioned that the model consists in, uh, charging, uh, small quote, a monthly quote to the tenants that is used in a fund for renovation and retrofit, uh, that you can access when is needed. Uh, in terms of percentage, how much this adds up to the, to the rent. Just to, to have an idea and, um, and is so this is fully sustainable or do you have had moments or types of renovations that proved to be more expensive than these and you needed more? Or this is perfectly sustainable.”
  Energy performance of buildings
• 2026-06-24 “Good morning. Good morning, everyone. Let's get started. So the members of the European Parliament, guest speakers and colleagues, welcome today for this new Housing Committee meeting. As usual, we start with the adoption of the agenda. If there are no objections, the agenda is deemed adopted. Before we start our meeting, just preliminary remarks. Just to let you know that today's meeting is webstreamed on parliament's website, and we have interpretation in 15 languages. We also have to adopt the minutes of our committee meeting of April 14. And if there are no objections, the minutes are adopted. And now we move to the next point. Today, we are holding an exchange of views on criminal activities in the field of housing with representatives of EU agencies and member states. The main objective of this meeting is to facilitate an exchange of information and practical experience to better understand how EU agencies and national authorities address criminal phenomena affecting the housing and real estate sector. We will also discuss the social reuse of confiscated assets, how property and resources seized from criminals can be put to use for the benefit of society. This discussion forms part of the broader work of the House Committee, which is examining the multiple factors contributing to the current housing crisis across Europe. We are increasingly interested in understanding whether and to what extent criminal activities in the real estate market such as money laundering, fraudulent practices, speculative schemes, or the misuse of legal entities may distort housing markets, undermine transparency and public trust, and ultimately affect housing affordability and access to adequate housing for citizens. To structure our discussion, we have organized the meeting in 3 panels. The first one is dedicated to the role of EU agencies in combating real estate crime. The second one will examine how member states respond to illegal activities carried out in the real estate sector. And the third and final panel will focus on the social reuse of confiscated assets. Before we proceed to our experts' interventions, I would like to welcome the active participation of the Econ Committee represented today by our colleague, Ludac Nivenmeyer, Vice Chair of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, who has kindly agreed to share some introductory remarks. So it's my pleasure to welcome you, Ludwig, and I give you the floor.”
  Anti-money laundering regulation
• 2026-06-24 “Okay. Thank you. Thank you very much. Now we move to the next panel. So as I said, this will give us the opportunity to go deeper into the experience of member states. And so we they will explain how they respond to illegal activities carried out in the real estate sector. So in this respect, I'm pleased to welcome our experts. They are all, connected online. And I start, by giving the floor to Sonia Schulz, strategic analyst at the German Financial Intelligence Unit from Germany. Missus Schulz, you have the floor. You have about 5, 6 minutes.”
  Anti-money laundering regulation
• 2026-06-24 “Mister Lembo, I'm sorry, but the other part of the question concerned the incidence of crime in the luxury sector only, or do you notice it in other segments of the market? Do you have any information about that? Do you have any specific information or perhaps not enough information about that?”
  EU policy on criminal justice
• 2026-06-24 “Thank you very much. Now I collect the first 2 questions. We start with Mrs. Nerena Martens for EPP. Yes. I was just wondering how well you work together with the new agency we have, the AMLA against money laundering. Okay. Next question, Gabi Bischoff for S and D.”
  Anti-money laundering regulation
• 2026-06-24 “Thank you very much. Now before giving the floor back to the experts, I would also like to hear on this last question also the opinion of Europol more in general, the kind of initiatives. We know also from Mr. Niedermeyer talked about it earlier that we have a new package on anti money laundering. I would like to ask if this package is considered to have helped or to still need would need some revisions to make it really house crime proof. I don't know how to say that. So what additional measures, if needed, we would need to take to avoid criminal activities in the real estate sector.”
  Anti-money laundering regulation
• 2026-06-24 “Thank you. Thank you very much. Now we open the floor to questions. So I invite the coordinators and representatives of the political group to take the floor for up to 2 minutes each, and then our experts will reply after every 2 questions. So I start by giving the floor to Alicia Holmes, Finel. Thank you.”
  Activities of EU Ombudsman
• 2026-06-24 “So thank you very much. I also add a question on my own, in particular to Mr. Resch, because I know that there is there has been a study with empirical evidence that money laundering activities directly affect and contribute to rising real estate prices. So this is very relevant for the work of this committee. This is a study that, if I recall correctly, was based on data on Germany. But I would like you to elaborate a little bit on this study and to see if there are other studies in other countries that are being conducted and how this impact and how it's deploying in Germany and possibly in other places? Thanks.”
  Anti-money laundering regulation
• 2026-06-24 “Thank you. Thank you very much. I have no further questions for the guest speakers of the second panel. So let me really thank you for your availability, for sharing with us your experience. This is indeed very, very useful for us also to help us better understand the scale of the challenge, but also the determination with which national authorities are working on it. So now we move to the third panel, which addresses one of the topics that has already emerged in the second panel, which is the confiscation of seized assets and how they can be reused. I'm very pleased to have with us two important experts: Mrs. Rosanna Belantoni, Manager of the National Office for Confiscated Movable and Immovable Property from Italy, and Elena Granichero, General Director of the National Agency for the Management of Seized Assets. I think this is a really important aspect. We've learned also in the previous panel how the depth and the dimension of seized assets covers billions of euros. So it is also very important to address this topic both as a way to deprive criminal organizations from resources and sources of means of affecting the market, but on the other hand, also how to return these assets to society in a form that addresses social needs, including housing. So I think this could have double purposes. Some member states have already developed legislative frameworks and practical models in this area, allowing confiscated properties to be repurposed for social housing, community services, or public infrastructure. We are very interested in learning more about these experiences. I start by giving the floor to Missus Rosanna Belantoni.”
  Anti-money laundering regulation
• 2026-06-24 “Thank you very much. Now I don't know whether you want to answer the last point that I put to you. Within the new housing plan that was just adopted by the Italian government, do you think there's space in that plan for confiscated assets to be part of that project? Could they be used or reused for residential purposes for social housing? Were you consulted in the consultation phase on how exactly to put together this plan before the decree was drafted, or is this a type of instrument that does not align to the subject at hand today?”
  EU policy on urban development
• 2026-06-24 “Thank you. Thank you very much. Any other requests for the floor from our speakers? If there is anything that you may want to add? If not, I'm very glad to give the floor. You were just mentioned to the Matthew Baldwin, head of the task force in the European Commission for Housing. **Matthew BALDWIN (European Commission – DG ENER) : Thank you very much indeed, Madam Chair. What a really excellent discussion this has been. And bringing brought beautifully to a crescendo by Barbara, if I may say, every time my spirits flag, I think, oh, it's a hot afternoon. How are we going to manage any of these difficult issues? And you just bring us back and thank you very much. I completely concur with your very warm words about the role of the House Committee and our chairman of this House committee, for the way you have brought difficult topics to the table and brought excellent groups of experts together for the discussions. Thank you for your kind words. Um, we are, I think, conscious, all of us, the different institutions, the Council, the Parliament and the commission that we are starting out on this journey. And we cannot solve all of our problems immediately. And in one or more detailed remarks, I'll, I'll, I'll pour a small glass of cold water on your optimism on everything, including on some of the finance questions. But I want to thank you very much for that very warm conclusion. Briefly. Madam chair, I think I heard a lot of calls for joined up thinking. Joined up thinking. It is ridiculous to separate energy policy from housing policy. Heating policy from cooling policy. Um and and and and also the renovation if I may. And repurposing from new construction. These are all things we need to do in a joint. Joined up way. And lastly poverty is itself indivisible. Um it is, it is you cannot separate out energy poverty from housing poverty, as you said it very well indeed, Barbara. **Matthew BALDWIN (European Commission – DG ENER) : We have so many people in energy poverty, 34 million. Um, one of my commissioners favourite or least favourite statistics is to talk about the number of people who cannot afford to heat and cool their buildings. And it doesn't matter if you are a citizen, whether you cannot pay your electricity bills, your citizens, your constituents with their arrears in their bills, or you can't make your rent. You're stuck and you're stuck in a place based situation. And that is something we really have to tackle in a joined up way, and I'm glad we are doing so. To give you an example, when we talk about the financing of energy efficiency and the the big task ahead of us, and I'll come back to this in terms of the financing of, of, of affordable housing. You don't divide those issues up at the level of an individual project in a neighborhood or indeed an overall policy. We are bringing them together through a joint call for experts in the Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition and the pan-European investment platform, and we are calling also for national hubs to be built, if they don't exist already, to support both sides of that equation on a national level. And and I'm very pleased to see you nodding from all your work on the Energy Efficiency Buildings Coalition. And thank you for your support. We want to work very much hand in hand with you on these important issues. **Matthew BALDWIN (European Commission – DG ENER) : Um, and the last paradoxical non-choice, if you like, is between affordability and climate. We can't be forced to choose and we mustn't be. Um, secondly, uh, much to agree with. I mean, I think there's always a problem in these sessions of intelligent people. Everyone tends to agree most of the time, but it's worth drawing out some of those elements, tackling the worst performing buildings. That's indeed the practical focus of the energy performance of Building Directive. I think we mostly agree on bringing in modern methods of construction. It's not going to work in every case. It's not. Industrialization is not a panacea, but we could do more to develop offsite and modular construction and thereby also reduce congestion in our in our towns and cities. We don't always need new structures. I also very much agree with that. Let's use what we have. We are a long way down with the work going on towards energy climate plans, building off the work set out in the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub and let's use some of these work in a joined up way. For example, relating to the 100 climate neutral cities, and to share the experiences that cities have faced. Our friend in Zagreb, I don't know if he's still here about how important that is in terms of tackling energy bills as as well. I think we also agree on the need for multi-level governance, but I also totally agree. I hate that phrase. I don't think it it conveys precisely what it's about, bringing that action across different levels of government in a meaningful way. **Matthew BALDWIN (European Commission – DG ENER) : And I think we also very much agree with getting to the local level through the energy community's approach and the Energy Communities action plan. Um, then maybe this is my small. Area where I can't say so much. It is very difficult for the Commission to comment on the ongoing negotiations in relation to the next Multiannual Financial framework, including on all that range of issues, which, to summarize what you said about the need for a fund about earmarking. And I know that's a hotly supported by some of the biggest fans of housing. And I totally understand that the heat of that support. Um, we need also to recognise that some people have other priorities. And so once you get into an earmarking game, it may reduce your leverage. Ultimately, if we're forced to choose between different priorities and of course, defence being the major one, I would defend a little bit how much we have achieved on cohesion and the RF, as you've mentioned, 45 billion over this financing period. I know that is a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed, but it is not insignificant. And when we go back to member states and say, are you ready to do more? In the reprogramming period generated by Vice President Fitto, again, almost 10% of that additional funding was generated. A lot of it, of course, coming identified coming from from from Italy. Uh, the president when she launched, when she made her. **Matthew BALDWIN (European Commission – DG ENER) : Her speech launching the Commission's proposals for the. For the next Multiannual Financial framework, president of the Commission. Um, she used housing as a good example of how this could fit into the NRP. But I also agree with those who said that we need to look hard at what the ECF can achieve and using the leveraging mechanisms of, of investing in as well. So, um, finally, let's, you know, all, all the time when we talk about some of the great ideas we've had surfaced today, housing cost neutrality, um, let's not take those concepts and run blindly with them. Let's unpack the principles through things like the housing allowance, which we've launched just the last couple of weeks. Work on these issues together, develop consensus for areas where we don't have total competence, we don't have the I don't have the ability to click my fingers and say, yes, let's, let's deliver on this. It needs to be done together with those who have responsibility for housing policy with the Member States and the cities and regions. And to now borrow Barbara's optimism, I think we can get there if we also always remember that it's the people we're talking about here, it's the citizens who are suffering in housing and energy bills. This week, we are going to be overwhelmed with terrible stories about people suffering in the heat waves across Europe. But that's the weekly reality for people suffering in the housing affordability crisis. And let's not forget that. Thank you.”
  EU housing policy
• 2026-06-24 “Thank you very much. Uh, I had one little short question myself, and then I give back the floor to the, uh, our guest speakers. Um, uh, this is particular for Mr., uh, Gebauer. Uh, they you mentioned that the model consists in, uh, charging, uh, small quote, a monthly quote to the tenants that is used in a fund for renovation and retrofit, uh, that you can access when is needed. Uh, in terms of percentage, how much this adds up to the, to the rent. Just to, to have an idea and, um, and is so this is fully sustainable or do you have had moments or types of renovations that proved to be more expensive than these and you needed more? Or this is perfectly sustainable.”
  Energy performance of buildings
• 2026-06-24 “Thank you. Thank you very much. I have a quick question myself. Because in particular, to Mrs. Bellantoni, of course, Mrs. Granichero is welcome to intervene if she wants to add something in the reply. First, I would like to understand what is the timing of this whole process because it seems a long process from the moment. First of all, I suppose it will take time to seize the assets and then a long process before these assets are being reused because it's made in many steps. Can you give us an idea of the timing and of how it could be made more efficient?”
  Transparency requirements of EU institutions
• 2026-06-24 “Thank you. Thank you very much. Any other requests for the floor from our speakers? If there is anything that you may want to add? If not, I'm very glad to give the floor. You were just mentioned to the Matthew Baldwin, head of the task force in the European Commission for Housing. **Matthew BALDWIN (European Commission – DG ENER) : Thank you very much indeed, Madam Chair. What a really excellent discussion this has been. And bringing brought beautifully to a crescendo by Barbara, if I may say, every time my spirits flag, I think, oh, it's a hot afternoon. How are we going to manage any of these difficult issues? And you just bring us back and thank you very much. I completely concur with your very warm words about the role of the House Committee and our chairman of this House committee, for the way you have brought difficult topics to the table and brought excellent groups of experts together for the discussions. Thank you for your kind words. Um, we are, I think, conscious, all of us, the different institutions, the Council, the Parliament and the commission that we are starting out on this journey. And we cannot solve all of our problems immediately. And in one or more detailed remarks, I'll, I'll, I'll pour a small glass of cold water on your optimism on everything, including on some of the finance questions. But I want to thank you very much for that very warm conclusion. Briefly. Madam chair, I think I heard a lot of calls for joined up thinking. Joined up thinking. It is ridiculous to separate energy policy from housing policy. Heating policy from cooling policy. Um and and and and also the renovation if I may. And repurposing from new construction. These are all things we need to do in a joint. Joined up way. And lastly poverty is itself indivisible. Um it is, it is you cannot separate out energy poverty from housing poverty, as you said it very well indeed, Barbara. **Matthew BALDWIN (European Commission – DG ENER) : We have so many people in energy poverty, 34 million. Um, one of my commissioners favourite or least favourite statistics is to talk about the number of people who cannot afford to heat and cool their buildings. And it doesn't matter if you are a citizen, whether you cannot pay your electricity bills, your citizens, your constituents with their arrears in their bills, or you can't make your rent. You're stuck and you're stuck in a place based situation. And that is something we really have to tackle in a joined up way, and I'm glad we are doing so. To give you an example, when we talk about the financing of energy efficiency and the the big task ahead of us, and I'll come back to this in terms of the financing of, of, of affordable housing. You don't divide those issues up at the level of an individual project in a neighborhood or indeed an overall policy. We are bringing them together through a joint call for experts in the Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition and the pan-European investment platform, and we are calling also for national hubs to be built, if they don't exist already, to support both sides of that equation on a national level. And and I'm very pleased to see you nodding from all your work on the Energy Efficiency Buildings Coalition. And thank you for your support. We want to work very much hand in hand with you on these important issues. **Matthew BALDWIN (European Commission – DG ENER) : Um, and the last paradoxical non-choice, if you like, is between affordability and climate. We can't be forced to choose and we mustn't be. Um, secondly, uh, much to agree with. I mean, I think there's always a problem in these sessions of intelligent people. Everyone tends to agree most of the time, but it's worth drawing out some of those elements, tackling the worst performing buildings. That's indeed the practical focus of the energy performance of Building Directive. I think we mostly agree on bringing in modern methods of construction. It's not going to work in every case. It's not. Industrialization is not a panacea, but we could do more to develop offsite and modular construction and thereby also reduce congestion in our in our towns and cities. We don't always need new structures. I also very much agree with that. Let's use what we have. We are a long way down with the work going on towards energy climate plans, building off the work set out in the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub and let's use some of these work in a joined up way. For example, relating to the 100 climate neutral cities, and to share the experiences that cities have faced. Our friend in Zagreb, I don't know if he's still here about how important that is in terms of tackling energy bills as as well. I think we also agree on the need for multi-level governance, but I also totally agree. I hate that phrase. I don't think it it conveys precisely what it's about, bringing that action across different levels of government in a meaningful way. **Matthew BALDWIN (European Commission – DG ENER) : And I think we also very much agree with getting to the local level through the energy community's approach and the Energy Communities action plan. Um, then maybe this is my small. Area where I can't say so much. It is very difficult for the Commission to comment on the ongoing negotiations in relation to the next Multiannual Financial framework, including on all that range of issues, which, to summarize what you said about the need for a fund about earmarking. And I know that's a hotly supported by some of the biggest fans of housing. And I totally understand that the heat of that support. Um, we need also to recognise that some people have other priorities. And so once you get into an earmarking game, it may reduce your leverage. Ultimately, if we're forced to choose between different priorities and of course, defence being the major one, I would defend a little bit how much we have achieved on cohesion and the RF, as you've mentioned, 45 billion over this financing period. I know that is a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed, but it is not insignificant. And when we go back to member states and say, are you ready to do more? In the reprogramming period generated by Vice President Fitto, again, almost 10% of that additional funding was generated. A lot of it, of course, coming identified coming from from from Italy. Uh, the president when she launched, when she made her. **Matthew BALDWIN (European Commission – DG ENER) : Her speech launching the Commission's proposals for the. For the next Multiannual Financial framework, president of the Commission. Um, she used housing as a good example of how this could fit into the NRP. But I also agree with those who said that we need to look hard at what the ECF can achieve and using the leveraging mechanisms of, of investing in as well. So, um, finally, let's, you know, all, all the time when we talk about some of the great ideas we've had surfaced today, housing cost neutrality, um, let's not take those concepts and run blindly with them. Let's unpack the principles through things like the housing allowance, which we've launched just the last couple of weeks. Work on these issues together, develop consensus for areas where we don't have total competence, we don't have the I don't have the ability to click my fingers and say, yes, let's, let's deliver on this. It needs to be done together with those who have responsibility for housing policy with the Member States and the cities and regions. And to now borrow Barbara's optimism, I think we can get there if we also always remember that it's the people we're talking about here, it's the citizens who are suffering in housing and energy bills. This week, we are going to be overwhelmed with terrible stories about people suffering in the heat waves across Europe. But that's the weekly reality for people suffering in the housing affordability crisis. And let's not forget that. Thank you.”
  EU housing policy
• 2026-06-24 “Your members. Dear colleagues, please take a seat so we can resume our committee meeting now this afternoon. I'm very pleased to welcome you all for a public hearing on housing affordability in times of high energy costs. So we will examine the intersection between rising energy costs and housing affordability across the European Union, with particular attention to the compounded burden faced by low and middle income households. We will look at the structural drivers of energy poverty in the residential sector. The extent to which high energy costs undermine housing affordability and aggravate social exclusion, and the role of energy efficiency renovation as both a cost reduction strategy and a supply side response to the housing crisis. So we look forward to a rich and informative exchange with our experts and learning more about their findings, their field experience and the recommendations that they can share with us today. So before we begin hearing from the invited guests, I would like to give the floor to Matthew Baldwin, head of the Housing Task Force at the European Commission, for his opening remarks. Matthew. The floor is yours. **Matthew BALDWIN (European Commission – DG ENER): Madam Chair. Thank you very much. Good afternoon, everyone, and congratulations to whoever is running the cooling system inside the European Parliament. Up to now it's working very well. And of course, this is an issue which we will come to in the course of our discussions this afternoon, the impact of these higher temperatures on our citizens, on people in terms of increasing energy poverty and stress quickly on the level of energy prices, you will have noticed that they are slowly reverting back to pre Gulf crisis levels after the signing of the provincial provisional deal between the US and Iran. We see that oil prices this morning are at around $77 per barrel, which is a small increase on the price before the conflict and a substantial reduction from the $100 plus that we were seeing. Gas prices are around €42 per megawatt hour, which still remains 30% higher since the conflict began. We obviously see no immediate security of supply risks for the EU, bearing in mind, again, as I mentioned at the last time we discussed this, our exposure is limited. Only about 7% of oil imports and around 8 to 9% of our LNG imports come through the Straits of Hormuz. Jet fuel more vulnerable and therefore monitoring that particularly closely. This assessment, of course, has been shared with member states, and it would be wrong to feel that we are out of the woods. **Matthew BALDWIN (European Commission – DG ENER): Prices could still be impacted because the severe disruption of shipping through the Straits of Hormuz has not yet concluded. Supply risks continue both to precautionary or indeed actual shutdowns because of damage which have affected oil and gas infrastructure. And any continuation of disruptions will further tighten global energy markets and increase competition for cargo. So it always has an indirect knock on on on us, particularly as we approach the gas storage refilling season. Careful monitoring of the situation through the oil and gas supply groups, through the special task force we have set up inside DG Ina, most of the member states have committed to a large release of oil stocks coordinated under the International Energy Agency. Stepping back from all of this. It shows once again how costly are high dependence on imported fossil fuels is for our prices, for our security supply, and for our competitiveness. This vulnerability to ongoing market volatility shows that we need to accelerate our transition to a more sustainable and resilient energy system. We are better off over the last three years because of what we have done together, including through the Affordable Energy Action Plan of 2025. But we need to continue in this way. Specifically, we have published this action plan for affordable energy, combining tools for short term relief with structural reforms. We have adopted guidance on more efficient and future proof network charges. We have on the 10th of March come, and I think this brings us directly to the relevant topics we will discuss today to the. **Matthew BALDWIN (European Commission – DG ENER): We've adopted the Citizens Energy Package, aiming to give consumers easier access to cheaper and sustainable energy supplies that suit their needs and make it easier to switch. Building on the affordable energy plan of last year. Last point, if I may, Madam Chair. The impact of all of this in terms of our housing discussions, it's driving energy prices to new highs. This has indirect and direct impact. The direct impact is that increasing energy costs, of course, weighs on disposable income of households. We see this in immediate terms when refilling your car or in terms of heating your house. It's partly an immediate impact, but partly it comes only visibly with a delay when the the higher energy bills arrive on our on our doormats. It reduces housing affordability. It deepens energy poverty, in particular for vulnerable and low income households. The indirect energy price is also having a major impact. We've seen construction costs increased by more than inflation in recent years. By the way, the current heat snap is having a major impact on on the on the on the on the construction industry. Major construction inputs like concrete are highly energy intensive. The transport of construction materials is a highly relevant factor. So overall, we've seen the price of building materials, typically accounting for 30 to 40% of the total cost of a building, rising sharply since 2021 and causing higher building and renovation costs. **Matthew BALDWIN (European Commission – DG ENER): If these two impacts continue the direct and indirect impacts, we will have to reinforce our efforts both to save energy, stressing the importance of energy savings, investment in our housing stock and building low energy properties as we move forward. Very pleased to see in the Special Committee's report on the crisis how much you stress the importance of social climate plans in terms of supporting renovation and the need to closely monitor the impact in terms of energy poverty. And we strongly support member states through the new partnership for Better Homes, through one stop shop, one stop shop services for the renovation of housing and through support in developing national building renovation plans. I'm sorry I spoke too quickly. I see smoke coming out of the booths. I'm very sorry, friends in the interpretation side. Um, and one last thought. Uh, the need for households to be empowered to produce their own renewable energy. Um, we are seeing more and more the potential for this and therefore we intend to encourage, um, energy communities with practical tools to tackle existing administrative, technical and financial barriers in an energy communities action plan. And that's the speed I should have been speaking throughout, Madam Chair, and I apologize. Thank you very much for your attention.”
  EU housing policy
• 2026-06-24 “Thank you. Thank you very much. It was very, very interesting. And now I give the floor to Marius Marius Bulancea, head of operations at the European public prosecutor's office, who's online, who's joining us online. Thank you so much for joining us. You have the floor.”
  EU law enforcement cooperation in criminal matters
• 2026-06-24 “Your members. Dear colleagues, please take a seat so we can resume our committee meeting now this afternoon. I'm very pleased to welcome you all for a public hearing on housing affordability in times of high energy costs. So we will examine the intersection between rising energy costs and housing affordability across the European Union, with particular attention to the compounded burden faced by low and middle income households. We will look at the structural drivers of energy poverty in the residential sector. The extent to which high energy costs undermine housing affordability and aggravate social exclusion, and the role of energy efficiency renovation as both a cost reduction strategy and a supply side response to the housing crisis. So we look forward to a rich and informative exchange with our experts and learning more about their findings, their field experience and the recommendations that they can share with us today. So before we begin hearing from the invited guests, I would like to give the floor to Matthew Baldwin, head of the Housing Task Force at the European Commission, for his opening remarks. Matthew. The floor is yours. **Matthew BALDWIN (European Commission – DG ENER): Madam Chair. Thank you very much. Good afternoon, everyone, and congratulations to whoever is running the cooling system inside the European Parliament. Up to now it's working very well. And of course, this is an issue which we will come to in the course of our discussions this afternoon, the impact of these higher temperatures on our citizens, on people in terms of increasing energy poverty and stress quickly on the level of energy prices, you will have noticed that they are slowly reverting back to pre Gulf crisis levels after the signing of the provincial provisional deal between the US and Iran. We see that oil prices this morning are at around $77 per barrel, which is a small increase on the price before the conflict and a substantial reduction from the $100 plus that we were seeing. Gas prices are around €42 per megawatt hour, which still remains 30% higher since the conflict began. We obviously see no immediate security of supply risks for the EU, bearing in mind, again, as I mentioned at the last time we discussed this, our exposure is limited. Only about 7% of oil imports and around 8 to 9% of our LNG imports come through the Straits of Hormuz. Jet fuel more vulnerable and therefore monitoring that particularly closely. This assessment, of course, has been shared with member states, and it would be wrong to feel that we are out of the woods. **Matthew BALDWIN (European Commission – DG ENER): Prices could still be impacted because the severe disruption of shipping through the Straits of Hormuz has not yet concluded. Supply risks continue both to precautionary or indeed actual shutdowns because of damage which have affected oil and gas infrastructure. And any continuation of disruptions will further tighten global energy markets and increase competition for cargo. So it always has an indirect knock on on on us, particularly as we approach the gas storage refilling season. Careful monitoring of the situation through the oil and gas supply groups, through the special task force we have set up inside DG Ina, most of the member states have committed to a large release of oil stocks coordinated under the International Energy Agency. Stepping back from all of this. It shows once again how costly are high dependence on imported fossil fuels is for our prices, for our security supply, and for our competitiveness. This vulnerability to ongoing market volatility shows that we need to accelerate our transition to a more sustainable and resilient energy system. We are better off over the last three years because of what we have done together, including through the Affordable Energy Action Plan of 2025. But we need to continue in this way. Specifically, we have published this action plan for affordable energy, combining tools for short term relief with structural reforms. We have adopted guidance on more efficient and future proof network charges. We have on the 10th of March come, and I think this brings us directly to the relevant topics we will discuss today to the. **Matthew BALDWIN (European Commission – DG ENER): We've adopted the Citizens Energy Package, aiming to give consumers easier access to cheaper and sustainable energy supplies that suit their needs and make it easier to switch. Building on the affordable energy plan of last year. Last point, if I may, Madam Chair. The impact of all of this in terms of our housing discussions, it's driving energy prices to new highs. This has indirect and direct impact. The direct impact is that increasing energy costs, of course, weighs on disposable income of households. We see this in immediate terms when refilling your car or in terms of heating your house. It's partly an immediate impact, but partly it comes only visibly with a delay when the the higher energy bills arrive on our on our doormats. It reduces housing affordability. It deepens energy poverty, in particular for vulnerable and low income households. The indirect energy price is also having a major impact. We've seen construction costs increased by more than inflation in recent years. By the way, the current heat snap is having a major impact on on the on the on the on the construction industry. Major construction inputs like concrete are highly energy intensive. The transport of construction materials is a highly relevant factor. So overall, we've seen the price of building materials, typically accounting for 30 to 40% of the total cost of a building, rising sharply since 2021 and causing higher building and renovation costs. **Matthew BALDWIN (European Commission – DG ENER): If these two impacts continue the direct and indirect impacts, we will have to reinforce our efforts both to save energy, stressing the importance of energy savings, investment in our housing stock and building low energy properties as we move forward. Very pleased to see in the Special Committee's report on the crisis how much you stress the importance of social climate plans in terms of supporting renovation and the need to closely monitor the impact in terms of energy poverty. And we strongly support member states through the new partnership for Better Homes, through one stop shop, one stop shop services for the renovation of housing and through support in developing national building renovation plans. I'm sorry I spoke too quickly. I see smoke coming out of the booths. I'm very sorry, friends in the interpretation side. Um, and one last thought. Uh, the need for households to be empowered to produce their own renewable energy. Um, we are seeing more and more the potential for this and therefore we intend to encourage, um, energy communities with practical tools to tackle existing administrative, technical and financial barriers in an energy communities action plan. And that's the speed I should have been speaking throughout, Madam Chair, and I apologize. Thank you very much for your attention.”
  EU housing policy
• 2026-06-24 “Thank you. Thank you very much, Ludwig, for these inspiring words. We now turn to our first panel, as I said, is dedicated to the role of new agencies in combating organized crime in the real estate sector. And I'm very pleased to welcome the two representatives from Europol and EPPO. Europol plays a central role in supporting member states' law enforcement authorities in detecting and dismantling criminal networks, including those that exploit the real estate market to launder illicit proceeds. On the other side, EPPO has rapidly established itself as a key factor in prosecuting crimes affecting the EU's financial interests. In this regard, real estate fraud and money laundering are increasingly prominent among the cases that it handles. So together, their contributions will give us a clearer picture of the scale of the phenomenon, the tools available at the EU level and the gaps that still need to be addressed. So I now give the floor to Alexander Resch, head of the Financial Crime Unit at the European Financial and Economic Crime Centre at Europol. So, Mr. Resch, thank you for joining us and you have about 5, 6 minutes. Thank you.”
  Anti-money laundering regulation
• 2025-01-13 “E-000092/2025 Answer given by Mr Kubilius on behalf of the European Commission The Commission does not have any official information of an agreement and cannot comment, as a matter of principle, on a purported agreement between a Member State and a commercial satellite network operator. It is at the discretion of Member States to determine how to manage their national secure communication and their degree of reliance on non-EU solutions. The EU strives for leadership in strategic technology and to boost its technological sovereignty. It was the EU’s governmental actors who expressed their growing strategic demand for secure, sovereign and reliable space-based satellite communication services. The Commission’s proposal for the Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS²) Regulation 1 , strongly supported by Member States and the European Parliament since its inception, encapsulates the EU’s reply to fully address these public user needs and requirements in the space domain. The IRIS² Regulation requires all the components of the programme to be accredited by the Security Accreditation Board established under Article 72(1)(c) of Regulation (EU) 2021/696 2 . The Commission will take stock of all the tools and technologies available in Europe, including the 5G security toolbox, in order to meet the requirements of the Security Accreditation Board. 1 Regulation (EU) 2023/588 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2023 establishing the Union Secure Connectivity Programme for the period 2023-2027, OJ L 79, 17.3.2023, p.1-39. 2 OJ L 170, 12.5.2021, p. 69-148.”
  EU policy on screening foreign investment in strategic sectors and critical infrastructure
• 2025-01-13 “E-000091/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Fitto on behalf of the European Commission To date, the Commission has not received any proposal from the Italian Government to entrust SpaceX/Starlink technologies with providing internet connectivity in remote areas as part of Italy’s national recovery and resilience plan. In the absence of any such proposal, the Commission cannot indicate how it would intend to evaluate it. Pursuant to Article 18, paragraph 4, point (g) of Regulation EU 2021/241 1 , in case of submission of an amended plan including such a measure related to investments in digital capacities and connectivity, the plan shall include, where appropriate, a security selfassessment based on common objective criteria identifying any security issues, and detailing how those issues will be addressed in order to comply with relevant Union and national law. 1 Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 February 2021 establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility (OJ L 57, 18.2.2021).”
  EU policy on screening foreign investment in strategic sectors and critical infrastructure · EU digital & tech sovereignty
• 2024-10-04 “E-001956/2024 Answer given by Mr Gentiloni on behalf of the European Commission The 0.75 average value for the fiscal multiplier is supported by the empirical literature 1 and is a technical assumption that has been used for many years in the Commission's debt sustainability analysis (DSA). When submitting their plans, Member States could depart from this technical assumption provided that they specify with sufficient detail the composition of the planned fiscal adjustment that justify this departure, in line with the empirical finding that multipliers can differ depending on the type of fiscal measure enacted. Possible spill-over impacts could be factored in in the plans submitted by Member States. It is also worth noting that, under the new EU fiscal framework, fiscal policies will be more differentiated by taking into account the public debt and economic challenges of each Member State. As provided for by Regulation 2024/1263 2 , a working group on debt sustainability analysis has been established to explore possible methodological improvements. 1 Other than Carnot N. and De Castro F., 2015, “The Discretionary Fiscal Effort: an Assessment of Fiscal Policy and its Output Effect”, European Commission, Economic Papers, n°543; see also for instance: Gechert S., 2015, ‘What fiscal policy is most effective? A meta-regression analysis’, Oxford Economic Papers, n°67; Klein M. and Winkler R., 2018, ‘The Government Spending Multiplier at the Zero Lower Bound: International Evidence from Historical Data’, University of Antwerpen, research paper, n° 2018/1; Le Garrec G. and Touzé V., 2020, ‘Le multiplicateur d'investissement public une revue de littérature’, Sciences Po OFCE Working Paper, n° 28/2020. 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1263”
  EU fiscal rules and oversight of national budgets
• “Okay. Thank you. Thank you very much. I have no further requests for for the floor. Uh, so let me just, uh, thank, uh, vice president for, for the, the presentation and for answering all our, our questions are. I think that now, you know, we have a comprehensive view, but of course, everything is in progress. So we count on this cooperation to keep monitoring, to have future updates on the Eib's activity and also in its involvement in the pan-European investment platform for affordable and sustainable housing, which will be launched in 2026 as part of the Commission's European Affordable Housing Plan. So, uh, there will be other developments, uh, that will require our attention and our fruitful cooperation. So thank you. Thank you very much for your availability and for your work. Thank you. Thank you also to all the colleagues who participated and also to the interpreters and the staff for making this possible. Thank you. Next meeting is on March 24th.”
  EU expenditure on social policy
• “Now, there are two issues that concern me in the debate on competitiveness. The first one is nostalgia. Now, this idea that back then everything was working, while at the same time the entire world goes forward accelerating the US, China, they are investing for the future. And we are here thinking maybe how great we were and how we can protect our past. The second issue is the belief that this challenge is feasible at zero cost. Just with some simplification, we can regain the competitiveness. I have heard a lot of colleagues. This is just an illusion. So yes, simplification is important. I'm for it but will not be enough. Come on, let's look at what is making great the great competitiveness of our competitors. The three things A large market for goods and services. Common rules that govern the functioning of this market. And third, billions and billions of both public and private investments to sustain this competitiveness. Now, on these three things, we are stuck. We have been stuck for decades. We are prisoners of our own ideologies, nationalism, things like that, that we've also heard today in this room. So now I think it's about time to move forward. And just talking about simplification is a way to avoid talking about the real issues and the real solutions and the real problems of the union, and is also a way to show the lack of ambition of this commission and of the Union. So, dear Commissioner, the challenges in front of us are really enormous and we do expect much more from the Commission. Thank you.”
  EU Single Market harmonisation
• “It reflects an European Union that adapts its policy tools to the new social challenges, and strengthens the social dimension of the European integration. The plan. At the same time, we should be clear this plan is a starting point, not an end point. Much will depend on the next actions, in particular on future legislative initiatives on the effective alignment of existing European policies. The European Parliament is currently working on its report, for example, and this will be a key moment to shape the ambition and direction of our common approach. However, real change will only happen if also Member States decide to fully engage. European action can support, can enable, but it cannot replace, of course, national responsibility in light of the shared competences between Union and Member States. Progress will depend on the willingness of Member States to commit adequate resources, including European funds, and to adopt targeted and credible legislative and administrative measures. The European Parliament will therefore work to keep housing at the top of the political agenda, reflecting the fact that this is a top priority for European citizens. At the same time, we will exercise our role to hold both the Commission and the Member States accountable for the delivery of this plan and for the effective implementation of the measures needed to make affordable housing a reality across the union. So with that said, I now invite the Commissioner to join us for an exchange of views on the implementation and ambitions of the plan. So, Commissioner, thank you very much for joining us. You have the floor.”
  EU housing policy
• “Well just a quick question to Matsafero because earlier you said that you were ready to elaborate further on possible loopholes in our legislation concerning risks related to fungibility redemption. So here is the question: can you elaborate further and let us know what you see as current loopholes in the legislation that could create risks? And also if an issuer in euro pegged those stablecoins in the US, is it obliged to have reserves in the US or not? I mean I also would like to know how it works both here in the EU and there and to see what kind of a symmetry or asymmetry is there.”
  Regulation of crypto
• “Okay. No I'm sorry I apologize, but I was solicited. I wanted to ask a question myself. Um, by the, uh, Mr. Gillis answer. Um, if this is actually a question for Mrs. Knapton, because, uh, Mr. Guidi mentioned the role of, uh, cooperatives or, you know, actors that do not necessarily pursue the maximization of profits. Maybe they work on a smaller scale, but they could be more interested in the community perspective or, uh, and actually, this is a kind of model that has come very often in our hearings. So we've had different hearings where we've explored the role of cooperatives of nonprofit association in private public partnerships sometimes. So it's the local administration that sometimes has a partnership with some of these foundations or cooperatives in order to develop certain areas or neighborhoods. So we are indeed exploring these, these role. The thing that I wonder because actually working a lot also on the social economy sector and dealing a lot with that as well. There is a great concern in this sector because the original strategic plan for social economy was on two pillars, one related more to social and ample directorate, and the other one was actually in DG agro. And now there has been a reorganization. And basically the unit related to the role of social economy and cooperative in the more, you know, industrial aspects, economic aspects has been, uh, deleted from the or from the DG. So there is a concern and I was also wondering, uh, how you plan in the DG to still take into consideration the role that these actors may play, especially in the housing, in addressing the housing crisis? I don't know if you've had this kind of debate, uh, in the DG, but I think in construction they are and they can be, uh, players that are relevant for affordable housing.”
  EU housing policy
• “Months and nobody can give me what I'm interested. It's not the percentage on the whole park, because probably 80% is occupied by the owner, so it would never be available. I'm interested in that percentage of houses that could be and are available for long term renting. So how many are these? So maybe it's I don't know I don't know, but I would like to see the numbers. Not of the entire park of houses, but only of those who would be available for renting. And see among these how many are rented in long term? How many are rented in short term? How many are kept empty? Because we also heard that it could be that there is a problem of PCOS. Vacios por cualquiera.”
  EU regulation of short-term rentals
• “The report reflects, of course, the majority of the consensus of the committee and of the different ideas we are in a democracy. We confront with with. We have a dialogue. It reflects most of the work that we have done in the sense that it contains many things that at the very beginning of the committee, were not even on the table. Layla, you know that the fact that now we have a report that addresses the issue of public housing, social housing, homelessness also encourages the commission to take action on speculation to understand more where we couldn't get enough information, intervention on the short term rentals. Of course, we cannot legislate now, but we have a commitment on the side of the European Commission to do so. Where one year ago Everybody told us that this would have never been possible. Thank you. So I think, yes, we made a major step ahead.”
  EU housing policy
• “As a result, the design of the tax system can reinforce inequalities in access to housing, Benefiting those with greater financial capacity to accumulate property wealth and exploit fiscal advantages, while potentially constraining the supply of affordable housing for the middle income households. Recognizing the institutional and financialized nature of housing markets is therefore crucial for understanding market dynamics, resource allocation, and the broader social and economic implications of public policy. Taken together, these elements illustrate an important point housing taxation is not a single instrument, but a complex architecture of policies that influence household behavior, investment decisions, and housing market dynamics. Understanding this architecture is essential when discussing housing affordability. At the same time, it's important to recognize the institutional framework in which these questions are addressed. Taxations. I mean, even in the previous panel, it's been mentioned many times, it remains a national competence. And housing markets also differ a lot across Europe. But nevertheless, the European level can play a constructive role by fostering coordination, coherence, long term planning instruments such as the European Semester, for example. They are designed exactly to ensure consistency, consistency between economic, social and fiscal objectives across member states, providing a framework in which national policies can be aligned with broader European goals. Financial regulation, investment programmes and fiscal frameworks all interact with the housing market in important ways, and ensuring coherence across these areas can create a more stable environment for long term housing investment.”
  EU competences on taxation
• “Sorry, I very quickly I was solicited by the raising of the issue of housing. Um, recently, um, Bowman from the Federal Reserve, the vice president said that, uh, they are considering measures to, uh, lower requirements to make it easier for banks to loan and, and hold mortgages. Um, this is justified as a way to make it easier for people to own homes, but also, most importantly, to bring back, uh, loans and mortgages in the banking sector, uh, rather than non-banks because they've seen a drop in in these. And now I don't know if this is really the way we want to, uh, monitor things to lower capital requirements or to loosen the regulation. So I don't want to I don't want you to comment too much on what Bowman said. But I would like you to tell us how is the situation in Europe? How do you see that? Uh, and if you are seeing in the debate, internal debate, pressures to follow these kind of measures in Europe as well? And how do you see that? Thanks.”
  Financial regulation
• “Thank you very much. I give myself the floor to add a little bit thing based on these two questions. And this is specifically to Mr. Arrigo. Uh, you mentioned, uh, an enormous stock of empty houses, about maybe 7 million, I don't remember. You know, this is enormous. Astonishing. Uh, I would like to ask you if these are all, uh, public housing. No. Mixed private and public. So the question related is, uh, would it be possible to attract private capital to restore these or in order to recover this kind of abandoned or empty houses? In these cases it is needed to have some form of public funding. So this is the question I have. Now I give the floor to, uh. Mrs.. Uh, or or, uh. Aguirre. I apologize. Uh, uh. No. For Reno.”
  EU policy on urban development
• “Okay. Thank you. Thank you very much. Uh, I think I have no further requests for the floor on this first session, so thank you very much, Doctor Hyland, for your insights and for answering the questions. And now we start the second session on the impact and regulation of short term rentals in the EU. Uh, these sessions consist of two speakers, each presenting findings from their respective publication. Uh, and then at the end of both presentations that then we will have the, the Q&A. Uh, so doctor uh or column A column uh will start by presenting the regulatory aspects of short term rentals in the EU. Uh, she's a professor of urban planning, public policy and urban studies at the University of Cambridge. Over the past years, she has worked on a research project comparing the regulations of short term rentals in different European cities and countries, which she built upon in her research for the Housing Committee. So. Uh, Mrs. Colombo, thank you again for accepting our invitation. The floor is yours.”
  EU regulation of short-term rentals
• “So I'm concluding, But, you know, we've been working a lot and I really believe this is a crucial point, but just a broader reflection. Housing is often discussed primarily as a social issue, and rightly so. Access to adequate housing is closely connected to well-being, dignity, quality of life. But housing is also a central component of modern economic systems. It influences how labour market functions, how cities develop, how wealth is accumulated across generations. And in Europe today, housing costs increasingly shape decisions about where people study, where they work, where they form their family. If they form a family, sometimes they cannot even afford because they are afraid. They cannot provide for a decent housing for the family. For firms and local economies, the availability of affordable housing has become an important factor as well is an important factor in attracting and retaining workers for government housing market have implications for financial stability, urban development and fiscal sustainability. For all these reasons, housing policy deserves careful and rigorous economic analysis, including its fiscal dimension. Of course, taxation alone will not solve the whole housing challenges that is facing Europe. But understanding how tax systems interact with housing markets can help ensure that public policies support efficient allocation of resources. Adequate housing supply and sustainable economic development. So thank you very much for this opportunity, and I'll leave you with a very distinguished panel for a fruitful discussion. Thank you.”
  EU housing policy
• “One thing, the data that, uh, Mrs. Shelby brought data of the services of the parliament. So the accusation that these are fake data is very serious. So I would like to check with you, uh, because, uh, if the services of the parliament are bringing us fake data, it's a very serious accusation. So maybe later we can take some time to check that, because as far as I knew, the data on that were mentioned on the trend of the rents where official data, because we are the same data that we also were provided during our mission. Of course, this cannot be the only criteria. I mean, the successful of a policy can be measured through different criteria. So I'm not I'm not judging the policy, but I'm just interested in learning about the data that we have. So it's I think it's important that we have a double check on that later. Um, so now we have a request for Catch the Eye. I also had a request of Mrs., uh, Mr.. Um, Jimenez. Lara's, uh, very quickly. Uh, I don't like to give too many space to, uh, polemics between colleagues, but I think you have the right to respond quickly. Thanks.”
  Transparency requirements of EU institutions
• “(10:38:23 – 11:05:14): Thank you. Thank you very much. I really want to appreciate the contribution of all our experts. Thank you for your time and also for the members who participated. We know that the commission is working on new measures for the upcoming months. So your contribution today is particularly valuable. So we try to do everything that we can together all the pieces of knowledge and information that can inform and help our work. Today was certainly very helpful. So thank you very much for that. Okay. So let's resume our work. We move to the 0.5 on the agenda organized by the policy department for Transport, Employment and Social Affairs, namely the workshop on housing for students and young people in training. This committee has long focused on the housing challenges facing young people and students, a priority that is also reflected in our report. The Commission's European Affordable Housing Plan highlighted specific measures for this group. To explore this further, we commissioned a study and organized today's workshop. The study was published this week. Let me show you some publicity, and we'll now dive deeper into its findings.”
  EU housing policy
• “Dear ample chair, distinguished colleagues, honored guests, I'm pleased to welcome you to this public hearing jointly organized by the Housing and Ample Committees, focused on the critical issue of skills shortages in the European Union construction sector. As outlined in our draft programme, today's hearing will bring together experts from the construction industry, from Eurofound, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions and policy makers to discuss the challenges and potential solutions to address the skills shortage in the EU construction sector. The skills shortage in the construction sector is a pressing issue that is exacerbating the ongoing housing crisis in Europe. With a shortage of skilled workers, construction projects are being delayed or cancelled, leading to a reduction in the supply of new homes. This, in turn, is driving up housing prices and rents, making it even more difficult for people to access affordable housing. As we discussed in our previous public hearing on demographic trends, demographic changes are transforming housing demands, emphasizing accessibility, affordability and adaptability. However, the skills shortage in the construction sector is hindering our ability to respond to these changing demands. It is essential that we address this issue to ensure that we can provide decent, sustainable and affordable housing for all Europeans. So today's hearing will provide a platform for stakeholders to contribute to the development of effective policies and strategies to address the skills shortage. We will hear from experts on the current state of the sector, the impact of the skills shortage on the housing market, and potential solutions to address this issue. We will also discuss the role of education in equipping workers with the necessary skills to meet the demands of the construction sector.”
  Funding for vocational training
• “Thank you. Thank you very much. Now I give the floor to Doctor Yolanda martinez Mata that will discuss the legal developments of short term rentals, particularly regarding the landmark ruling of the Court of Justice in the Cali Apartments uh, case which has been mentioned. Doctor Martinez Mata is a lawyer and partner at Marimon Abogados, where she specializes in competition and EU law. Since uh 2016, her expertise on short term rentals regarding issues connected with EU law has regularly been consulted and cited. So, um, we have, uh, Mrs. Martinez that is connected. I already see her. So thank you again for accepting our invitation. The floor is yours.”
  EU regulation of short-term rentals
• “Indeed, housing decisions are shaped by a combination of Factors, demand and supply dynamics, regulations, financialization, construction costs, demographic trends, and financial conditions. They all play a role. Public policy, including taxation, interacts with these factors and influences how housing markets evolve over time. So next panel will address the role of taxation as a key element for this discussion. Because tax systems shape incentives in housing markets and influence how housing households and investors behave. So therefore, it's useful to look at the broader structure of housing taxation in our economies. Across many European countries, housing represents the largest component of household wealth. Residential property typically accounts for around half of household assets and for low and middle income households, the share is often even higher. This means that developments in housing markets have a direct impact on wealth accumulation, financial stability, intergenerational economic outcomes. At the same time, housing taxation represents a relatively modest share of total tax revenues. Recurrent taxes on immovable property account on average for roughly 6% of total tax revenues across the OECD. This share has remained broadly stable for decades, even though housing values have increased significantly in many countries. Another important feature is the diversity of tax instruments applied to housing. Different countries rely on different combinations of taxes linked to property acquisition, property ownership and capital gains. **Irene TINAGLI In some cases, taxes on property transactions represent a substantial source of revenues for regional and local governments, but in others, recurrent property taxation plays a more prominent role. Just to give an example. In addition, the administrative valuation systems used for property taxation vary widely across countries. In several cases, property values used for tax purposes are updated only periodically, which means that the relationship between administrative values and market prices can evolve over time. Moreover, the tax treatment of owner occupied housing often differs from that of the other types of investments. These provisions reflect long standing policy objectives in many countries, including the promotion of home ownership, the accumulation of household wealth. The design and fiscal relevance of such provisions differ a lot across member states. An important dimension to consider is the increasing financialization of the housing market. This is also something we've been observing in recent years. Housing has become more closely linked to financial markets, financial instruments, institutional investors playing a growing role in ownership, development and management of residential assets. But at the same time, access to credit and various financial instruments have enabled different actors to allocate resources in ways that can influence both investment patterns and housing availability. This process is closely intertwined with fiscal policy. Different tax treatments such as deductibility, deductibility of interest, incentives for rental investments, or preferential capital gains taxation. They shape the decisions of households and investors alike.”
  Wealth taxation
• “They just rent it out for her to have a monthly payment or what. So do we have any information on the kind of use that they do and what kind of behavior we see there? And last thing, talking about the use of residential housing. One thing that we've observed in the past ten years is the increase in use for touristic purposes of residential houses, which is a phenomenon that we never seen before, not in this scale. Uh, is this something that you have, uh, somewhat put into your analysis that you have the ability to see if this has had an impact? So the fact that in the past ten years, you can use residential houses for an use that is not residential. And this also something that increases prices and returns and may attract more investments. Thank you.”
  EU regulation of short-term rentals
• “Thank you. If you allow me, I have a small question myself. No, because it was really interesting on the issue of conditionality that the colleagues were asking. Uh, of course, we know that the mid-term review gave the opportunity to channel the money to reprogram the money towards affordable housing. It was pretty clear, I think, that the concern and the worry of some colleagues and frankly, of mine as well, is, ah, Do we have any sorts of safeguards? Uh, to make sure that this affordable housing that will be built with this money will remain affordable for a long. For example, when we we did with the review of the state aid rules, there was a conditionality of 20 years minimum to remain. Now, honestly, I admit I don't remember if there was something like that already in the. But I don't think so. I don't recall having read this kind of conditionality in the mid-term review. So maybe the question is, do you think there is a way in the upcoming months to make sure that we have something like that in the implementation of the project? If it's possible to do that, and then we will keep looking into that.”
  EU policy on urban development
• “Thank you. President. The 23rd of October was the first time that the issue of housing was brought into the European Council. And I really want to thank President Costa for having brought this issue at the core of the debate. I think it's essential that heads of state and government recognise the House emergency that is spreading across Europe, and for sure the conclusions are a first step. But let's be honest, this is far too little compared to the scale and the depth of the crisis that millions of European citizens are facing. It's obvious that not all the governments are ready to tackle this challenge at the scale that is needed, and to acknowledge the constructive role that the European Union can and should play in addressing it. So I do hope that the European Commission will keep its ambition high in the plan that is being to going to be revealed in December, the plan on affordable housing. And I hope that the commission will also help us in pushing the council together with President Costa, all the governments that are still reluctant to do more for the citizens. Also, in terms of budget for the next MFF, the well-being of citizens should be at the center of our common action beyond any ideological stance. So please join us in this battle for the European citizens.”
  EU housing policy
• “Okay, colleagues. Please take a seat So we can start our hearing. So we are pleased to open today's meeting and extend a warm welcome to all participants. The title of this morning public hearing is, uh, tourism, Short Term Rentals and Housing Affordability Balancing economic Growth with Housing Accessibility in Europe. The meeting is structured around a single panel featuring four distinguished experts, all of whom are here with us today. So thank you very much for joining us. Um, and so we have Mrs. Marianne Muro, director general of Aperture. Uh, Mr. Mark Beckwith, EU representative of the city of Amsterdam, uh, European Cities Alliance on short term rentals. Welcome. Uh, Mrs. Malika Perro, co-founder and general coordinator at Alda Association. Nation, and Antonio Barriga, Director general, Federal Turismo Confindustria. I remember that each expert will take the floor for six minutes. Intervention. Uh, we all know the importance of tourism for the European economy. Yet the rapid growth of short term rental platforms has transformed housing markets in many cities and touristic areas, creating new economic opportunities on one hand, but on the other also some challenges for housing affordability and community life. Today's hearing will explore how we can strike the right balance between economic growth and the social right to affordable housing. We will look at the impact of short term rentals on local communities, the role of the European Union and national policies, and how better regulation and cooperation can help ensure that tourism remains both sustainable and inclusive. So without any further delay, we move to the first expert. So, Mrs. Mauro. Thank you again for accepting our invitation. And the floor is yours.”
  EU regulation of short-term rentals
• “Of this amount, 3.3 billion was allocated specifically to affordable and sustainable housing, and this follows the adoption in September 2025 of regulation 2025 1914, which formally introduced affordable housing as a specific cohesion policy priority with dedicated incentives, including the 30% pre-financing in 2006 and 100 EU co-financing rate for reallocated amounts. So these 3.3 billion comes on top of the 7.5 billion already allocated to housing related investments under the 2127 cohesion programmes before the mid-term review, rising to a total of 10.5 billion when national co-financing is included. So these are not negligible figures, and this committee recognises the political commitment that has been required to move housing from the margins to the centre of cohesion policy. At the same time, this committee has a responsibility to read the figures clearly and honestly. 7.5 billion represents approximately 2% of total cohesion policy funding for the 2127 period. As noted also in the Housing Committee's own report that was adopted in March 26th, the additional 3.3 billion reallocated through the mid-term review is, of course, a very welcome step. But the scale of Europe's housing investment deficit shows that more dedicated investment would be needed. So looking beyond the mid-term review itself, cohesion policy does not act in isolation. The effectiveness of these housing investments will depend on how they interact with the European Affordable Housing Plan. The European Investment Bank Group Housing Action Plan launched in June 25th, and the National Recovery and Structural reform programmes. So let me finish it here. We have much to address with the executive vice president. So, uh, this committee would like to engage in a debate with the with you today, and I give you the floor. Thank you very much for your availability.”
  Cohesion and rural funding
• “Thank you. Chair. Vice President Fecteau. You know what? Okay, I'm going to speak in Italian. You'll hear me faster. Housing is a huge issue. Cohesion funds quite often are one of the few instruments that local authorities on the ground in the regions in the cities have to be able to give some relief to citizens. So they are very important. But it's not enough just speaking about it. It's not enough just marking them down. We need to know how they will be spent, what the strategies are, what the timing is, what the conditions are. I'll give you just a few examples one None. I liked this mid-term review of the funding and the doubling for housing. But many mayors, many authorities are saying that that is very late. There aren't any of the conditions. They don't know how to spend it. I don't know if you have the data for that, but it's just to say that having longer periods of time for programming, that's essential. Then conditionalities. You need to be sure that those resources really go to projects which will have a relevant social impact, because that is where we need them to address social issues. And then thirdly, and this concerns the new proposal in cohesion policy. And this point about the decentralisation. We cannot take this room for manoeuvre away from where they really need it at that local level. Please, we have millions of citizens and we have the authorities who need our support.”
  EU cohesion/structural-fund architecture: consolidation vs ring-fenced separate funds
• “In particular, it means that supported operations must target areas where the private sector alone cannot provide sufficient financing. This is not a side objective, it is the foundation of the programme. So that is why, as we discuss now how to strengthen investors capacity, we also highlight two important areas that Parliament has strongly advocated for. The first of all, the importance of defence related investments, which was also mentioned by my co-rapporteur, but also the urgent need to support affordable housing. Let me focus on this on housing, which remains a critical and growing concerns across many member states for millions and millions of European citizens. There is a persistent market failure in the provision of affordable and adequate housing, and this is precisely the type of challenge that Investeu is designed to address. So we are aware that certain social investments, which are often innovative or long term, have struggled in the past to access Investeu support. Yet these are exactly the types of projects that embody the principle of additionality. So to address this, we have proposed to strengthen the advisory hub, an important element to support local authorities and SMEs and social economy actors in preparing quality projects so they can better access the Investeu programs. We have seen numerous amendments in this direction, and I would like to thank colleagues for their broad support on this point.”
  EU policy on urban development
• “The advisory hub can really help ensure that good projects are not disregarded, even though they may need some technical fine tuning and could help to foster them. So we have also focused on the issue of simplification. So compared to the Commission's proposal, we have worked to improve the definition of SMEs just to ensure that is genuinely small and medium sized enterprises that can benefit from Investeu support and not just by the headcount. At the same time, we have sought to ensure that more data and information are collected in terms of key performance indicators to allow a clear assessment of the program's alignment with its policy See objectives. So we have received numerous amendments on these elements related to the simplification, and I really look forward to a constructive debate that can help further enrich our final position. We will, of course, take into account the valuable contributions from the Itre Committee, which has worked extensively on this issue in the past and whose expertise will be crucial. Similarly, we welcome the input of the Tran colleagues, especially on transport related investment priorities. So finally, with regard to the fiscal dimension, we support reaffirming the principle that national contributions to Investeu, whether via the national promotional banks or directly, should be treated as one off measures under the Stability and Growth Pact. So thank you very much and I'm looking forward for colleagues contributions.”
  EU fiscal rules and oversight of national budgets
• “Debate on the amendments and on the draft report this afternoon. Uh, so, uh, so we. Oh, okay. So now we have several requests. Uh, we start actually, by giving the floor to, uh, Daniela Attard from the Tran committee, which has also been the rapporteur on a report. Yes.”
  EU Supervision of the Rule of Law
• “It's very simple. I don't have a lack of knowledge of what people go through, but maybe you have a lack of knowledge of how the Union functions and what are the competencies that the Union has and the powers and the resources. If we don't give the Union our Union, the powers, the resources, the budget to support investments, our citizens will continue to suffer the lack of competitiveness. Single member states alone will not be able. That's the reason why we are struggling.”
  Own EU resources
• “Yes, I, I just would like to raise a question on the transparency of the project selection. Uh, because the annual report, uh, merely states that the requests were selected according to the criteria set out in the TSC regulation, but it does not explain how these criteria were actually applied or weighted in practice. So if the Commission can clarify whether all criteria were given equal importance or some others were given, uh, different, uh, weight, um, moreover, in the mid-term evaluation of the TSC, it refers to the existence of an internal scoring system that used is used to assess the request. So I wonder why this internal scoring system is not described in the annual report. And, uh, if the Commission would consider making at least a summary version of this, mechanism and make it public to allow for a meaningful parliamentary scrutiny. And finally, whether the Commission intends to, um, to include in future reports. Also a brief account of the projects that have not been selected, uh, in order to. Improve transparency over the management of priorities and resources. So thanks.”
  Accounting and auditing of EU budget
• “Okay. Good morning everyone. So before we start our meeting, just a couple of remarks. Uh, just a reminder that today's meeting is web streamed on the Parliament's website. Uh, and then we have interpretation in 12 languages. I'm not going to list all of them. You can find out, uh, the adoption of the agenda. If there are no objections, the agenda is deemed, uh, adopted. And then we, uh, jump to the core of our meetings today. Uh, so the, um, today we welcome the executive vice president, Stéphane Séjourné, a commissioner for Prosperity and industrial strategy. Uh, for the first time, uh, housing forms part of your portfolio, dear Vice President, reflecting its strategic importance for Europe's industrial and economic future. So today we have the opportunity to further explore your initiatives in the construction sector and foremost, the forthcoming measures on short term rentals that were announced by president von der Leyen in the 2025 state of the European Union address. So your initiatives on decarbonisation, the Circular Economy Act, the clean industrial Deal will shape how Europe produces construction materials, improves energy efficiency and promotes circular construction practices. Dg, DG growth work from fostering innovation and sustainability in construction to streamlining building permits and revising public procurement rules is essential to delivering efficient housing construction. These measures directly support the European Affordable Housing Plan in ensuring citizens access to safe, decent and affordable homes. A particularly pressing issue concerns short term rentals in urban areas. As you know, this topic has sparked considerable debate both in this House and in the public sphere. Given its growing impact, president von der Leyen highlighted this as a key pillar of the 2025 housing crisis response, alongside support for new construction. So we would like to hear more on these aspects. So, Vice President, your portfolio holds a crucial levers for transforming Europe's built environment and ensuring the single market functions effectively, including the delicate balance between tourism and citizens access to homes. We look forward to hearing your vision. How the European Parliament and the Commission can work closely together to tackle these challenges. So, Commissioner, you have the floor.”
  EU regulation of short-term rentals
• “I had one question, especially to Mr. Varadkar. Uh, one thing that I realized, I'm also interested in finding this balance. You know, uh, I don't want to criminalize the tourism or, uh, but one question that I have and also Mrs. Moro said many families, they need to find more space. They need maybe an apartment. They if they had to go to a hotel, it would be too expensive. One thing that I noticed in Italy in particular is that in the past few years, basically in many cities, hotels that are like two star, three stars have almost disappeared. So the supply of. Hotels room is mostly quite expensive. Uh, so in case we, uh, we go through a more restriction or restrictive measures of short term rentals. Do you think that it would be the possibility to re increase the supply of more affordable, more sustainable tourism? Is this a trend that has happened or it's just my impression, and maybe it's not in the data that these two things have been. I don't know what caused what uh, if first it disappeared the low cost hotels and then appears the short term or vice versa, that apartments Killed the low cost hotel. Or maybe there is no relation, but just the dynamics. I would like to hear your opinion, but now all the questions in the catch the eye and I give you the floor for the answers to all. Mr. Braddock, if you want, you can start. Yes.”
  EU regulation of short-term rentals
• “Thank you very much. Thank you for this invitation. I'm very pleased that ample committee has dedicated a full exchange to the affordable housing plan, and I'm grateful to address you alongside our rapporteur, Borja Jiménez. Throughout this whole process, we engaged closely with the Commission as well. So our work, I think, has been very useful in showing how complex this crisis it is. Uh, it's driven by a set of factors, not just one cause one problem. It's many factors that are interrelated with each other, uh, which range from issues regarding the supply and the investments, particularly the lack of public investment that has been declining, but also bottlenecks there. Uh, energy poverty, the problem of financialization of residential market, the problem of, uh, short term rentals, which has affected also, uh, the dynamics between supply and demand. I mean, all these drivers do not operate in isolation. They interact with each other cannot be addressed in silos. And this is why our committee has consistently called for a sophisticated, coordinated European approach, one that respects national competences but at the same time recognises that the scale and the interconnected nature of this crisis demands action at the European level.”
  EU housing policy
• “Okay, so now without further delay, let's introduce our distinguished speakers. First we have Jorge Garcia montoro, Regional Minister for Development and Infrastructure of the Region of Murcia, who will share his expertise in the on the skills shortage in the construction sector from a regional perspective. Next, we have Tina Weber, senior research manager at Eurofound, who will provide an overview of the impact of the green and digital transitions on the European Union's construction sector in relation to employment skills work, organization and working conditions. We are also joined by Roberto Capobianco, national president and co-founder of lavoro PM, who will bring his expertise on the needs of small and medium sized enterprises in the construction sector and the challenges they face in terms of skills shortages. And finally, we have Tom DeLeo, secretary general of the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers, who will provide a trade union perspective on the skills shortage and its impact on workers in the construction sector. I would like to thank you to thank all our speakers for their participation and expertise, and I look forward to hearing their insights on this critical issue. So, Mr. Garcia montoro, the floor is yours. You have eight minutes.”
  Funding for vocational training
• “Yeah. And I also worry in terms of financial stability, because if you have a large stock, especially concentrated in certain areas that are not dedicated to real residential uses, I think, but it might be wrong that it's more susceptible to procyclical, uh, you know, uh, dynamics. And so this could create some problems when you have a downturn because you could have, uh, massive decrease in touristic influx in revenues or massive dismissal or NPLs or stuff like that. So that is also was something I was in my mind. Okay, enough about me. Uh, Nora Junco Garcia for ECR. Sorry, Nora, but I.”
  EU regulation of short-term rentals
• “Thank you, chair, and sorry for my low voice. Uh, but this doesn't take away my enthusiasm for what it's been done, uh, today. Uh, housing affordability has become one of the most urgent challenges facing Europe today. For millions of citizens, access to affordable housing is no longer a marginal issue because it directly affects their life, the opportunities they can access, and also their trust in our ability to deliver solutions. That's why today it is so important. And I'm really happy to see that finally, housing is at the core of the Commission's work, as we've been asking for many, many years. So the plan presented today actually really goes in the right direction, not just for construction. It's a very complex, comprehensive plan because it goes at the roots of the problem, which is a complex one. So it includes support for public investments, of course, also support for private investments to crowd them in towards a social good, a reform of the services of general interest framework to allow for better and more state aid, a strong focus on sustainability, a legislative response on short term rentals and, for the first time, a serious approach to address speculation. That's what we need.”
  EU housing policy
• “Thank you. Thank you very much. And and actually I was also thinking because in looking at your data, the graph on on page 14, for example, one thing that strikes me is that a big chunk of these investments are happening in Germany and in the Netherlands, and especially if we think in terms of, you know, the dimension of the market, the Netherlands, uh, it's particularly strong as a place for those investors. So I was trying to understand why this was the case. Is this related to the fact that in those countries you have very large institutional investors in terms of like pension funds, uh, like Germany and the Netherlands are two countries where or is it related? If you think in terms of the Netherlands, where the concentration is particularly high, also of a role of the taxation regimes, or how the financial markets work, because this would call into question also not only the macroprudential or banking regulation, but the financial markets and taxation regulation. So this could be an element in explaining this behaviour.”
  EU approach to sustainability criteria in private investments
• “Okay. Thank you very much. So now I give the floor to, uh, Mrs. Bossdorf for a can I. No. Okay. She just left. Uh, okay. So, um, we finished the round of the coordinators. If you allow me. I have a question for myself. Uh, I would like to go back to the first intervention of, um, doctor, um, Menendez Fernandez on the taxation on the. It's the taxation on the plus in in Spain, which is a form of taxation on capital gains. Um, because you said that this kind of um, of, uh, taxation has a negative effect on transactions, has a negative effect on prices and eventually probably even on rents, because in the end, these are kinds of taxations that, uh, will be borne by the buyers and tenants. Now, I would like to know, I mean, since you are, uh, an economist and, you know, uh, chairing a board of economists, uh, if you have, uh, data that can, uh, give us a evidence of this impact, this form of tax, if I'm not mistaken, was introduced more than 20 years ago in 2004, and has also been changed over the years after some rulings of the Constitutional Court. Uh, maybe 2011, 2017, I believe. So I think that there is enough information and variations, also variations on how it's been implemented in different municipalities to give room for a proper econometric analysis that can tell us the real impact of such taxation on transactions and prices controlling, of course, for all the other factors related to economic cycle and so forth. So I was wondering if you can give us some data, or if there are studies that you can send us and illustrate us.”
  Taxation of financial transactions
• “Dear colleagues, please take a seat so we can start our meeting of today. Before starting, just a reminder that today's meeting is web streamed on the Parliament's website and that we have interpretation in 15 languages. And now we move to the adoption of the agenda. If there are no objections, the agenda is deemed adopted. And we also have to adopt the minutes of our meetings of January 27th, 2026 and February 9th, 2026. If there are no objections, the minutes are adopted as well. And now we move to our main point for the day the members. Dear colleagues, I'm very pleased to welcome you all here today. We. For this exchange of views with the Vice President of the European Investment Bank, Mr. Ioannis Tsakiris. The EIB has taken a proactive approach to support the development of affordable and sustainable housing across the EU. It's Affordable and sustainable Housing Plan, approved in June 2025, aims to increase financing for innovation, renovation and new buildings, with a focus on promoting modern construction techniques, accelerating energy efficient upgrades and building new sustainable and affordable housing. As we discuss the housing crisis in the EU with Vice President Harris, we will explore the eib's initiatives and investments in this area and how these efforts can contribute to addressing the pressing issue of affordable housing in our member states. The objective of today's meeting is to gain first hand information from Vice President Zakir about the Eib's housing related work. Over the past months, including the progress made in implementing the Affordable and Sustainable Housing Plan, as well as the bank's plans and priorities for the months ahead. We look forward to a fruitful discussion and to learning more about the Eib's vision and strategies for supporting affordable and sustainable housing in the EU. So dear Vice President, thank you for being with us today. And the floor is yours for ten minutes.”
  EU policy on urban development
• “Thank you very much. Now I give the floor to Ermelinda. Yes. Sorry. **Irmhild BOẞDORF : Thank you very much. I'd like to ask you my question in German. First of all, thank you very much. It was a very interesting presentation. Now, obviously there's a problem. However, if we allow millions of people to to migrate to Europe. I'm particularly interested in Doctor Dreher said on Smart Shrinking. That is quite interesting. Japan has seen this happen, and perhaps this could happen in two decades. Two decades. Well, it's not yet the case because we have significant immigration into European countries. We don't yet have this smart shrinking. But I'd like to know if there are any figures on this smart shrinking and how this would affect Europe. I'm from Germany, and Germany has the absolute lowest ownership rate in Europe, 41%. And all assistance for, for example, young families in Germany has been stopped in Germany. And in my views, I think this would be a good way we could help families to help them to buy their own properties. I think that's what we need to focus on. Thank you.”
  EU strategy on population growth
• “So in the last plenary, as you said, chair, the European Parliament adopted its report on the housing crisis. And I think this sent a very strong political signals signal across many elements. There is broad support, particularly for the initiatives that have been announced by the Commission in its plan. We are especially looking forward to those proposals where Parliament will act as co-legislator, notably the forthcoming Affordable Housing Act and the legislative proposal on construction, and it will be very useful to better understand the direction in which the preparation of the Affordable Housing Act is evolving, as well as the type of measures and instruments that could be envisaged within this framework. So we are really here to understand how we can all cooperate. Also, how to involve all the possible, including the attention to all the private sector and the public sector, but also the social cooperative, non-profit, limited profit models that we have explored in our work. I think we really need a huge alliance for housing.”
  EU housing policy
• “Yes, Marcos stole my question. So no it was. It is on the same on the same topic, but on a slightly different angle. So, uh, we also had Mario Draghi yesterday in the plenary and he, uh, addressed the issue of defense. And he said that the biggest problem that we have as a European Union on defense is not so much the quantity of expenditure, but how it is coordinated. The interoperability of the systems which eventually makes the European defence systems more, less or more credible depending on how strong, united, coordinated and interoperable. So in the face of this proposal that president von der Leyen made, which apparently still has to be detailed. Uh, don't you think that allowing national, uh, expenditure single member states to increase their expenditure without any sort of coordination actually increases the fragmentation in the European Union rather than decreasing it, rather than making the defence European defence stronger. And don't you think that one possibility could really be this one, if we want to strike a compromise national expenditure, but conditional on financing European projects on which I believe, and I hope that we are discussing about something about that. So how do you see that? How do you see the political conditions? What could be the process also of implementing this? Because timing is also of essence. So I hope we are not debating this for months and years, but that we can have something concrete that really strengthen the European capacity and defense. Thank you.”
  EU competences on defence
• “Many Italians also because they feel safer and protected from evictions, which is contradicting with what you say. So if it would be really impossible to evict, why would they feel safer by owning? So, uh, it's interesting. Uh, and the reverse goes for the, the German situation, but let's not get there. Uh, Gordon for the Greens.”
  Non-performing mortgages
• “Okay. Thank you. Thank you very much. I have no further requests for for the floor. Uh, so let me just, uh, thank, uh, vice president for, for the, the presentation and for answering all our, our questions are. I think that now, you know, we have a comprehensive view, but of course, everything is in progress. So we count on this cooperation to keep monitoring, to have future updates on the Eib's activity and also in its involvement in the pan-European investment platform for affordable and sustainable housing, which will be launched in 2026 as part of the Commission's European Affordable Housing Plan. So, uh, there will be other developments, uh, that will require our attention and our fruitful cooperation. So thank you. Thank you very much for your availability and for your work. Thank you. Thank you also to all the colleagues who participated and also to the interpreters and the staff for making this possible. Thank you. Next meeting is on March 24th.”
  EU expenditure on social policy
• “Thank you. Chair. Today is a very important day, and it marks the recognition of the housing problem as a major priority of this union. It's been the result of a long work based on four points. First, what we've done trying to mobilize as many financial resources as possible for member states and local authorities from the mid term review of cohesion funds to dedicated financing for housing provided by the European Investment Bank to support also public investments and private investments towards affordable housing. Second, it has made available best practices, successful, successful models of social and affordable housing that can be scaled up across Europe. Third, where it has the competence to intervene directly, such as in the case of short term rental. The commission will step up with legislative proposals, but fourth, in areas where direct intervention is not possible because the competence lies at the national level, like taxation. We have worked to guide and encourage government action, but this is the point. We need also national governments to do their part. Some of them are doing that. Others seem to take too much time and to commit too little resources to those countries. We say wake up.”
  EU housing policy
• “Okay. Good morning colleagues. So let's get started with our meetings before we start, just to a few remarks. Just to remind you that today's meeting is web streamed on Parliament's website and that we have interpretation in 16 languages. Or as usual, we need to start with the approval of the agenda. If there are no objections, the agenda is deemed adopted. And then we also have to adopt the minutes of our meeting of March 24th, 2026. If there are no objections, the minutes are adopted. So now we start our exchange. So we are Executive Vice President. Dear colleagues, welcome to this exchange of views with the Special Committee on the Housing Crisis. Today's discussion addresses a question that is central to our mandate. What has the mid-term review of cohesion policy delivered for housing and what must still be done? Europe's housing crisis is not receding in many countries. We've seen. We continue to see numbers that show how the prices continue to increase. This means that is creating problems for citizens. Moreover, mortgages rates are going up. The supply is continues to to shrink. The growing financialization of the housing market also it's increasing as all of these combination of factors are pushing home ownership and affordable rental out of reach for millions of Europeans. So this is not just a social concern. This is an economic territorial Challenge, with direct consequences for labour mobility, regional competitiveness and social cohesion. So against this backdrop, the mid-term review was an important and necessary step. So I want to begin by acknowledging what it has been achieved and what it has delivered. According to the commission's official factsheet published in March, a total of Euro 34.6 billion in cohesion policy funds was re-allocated to the new EU strategic priorities across 25 member states and through 186 amended programmes.”
  EU policy on urban development
• “Thank you. Thank you very much. I want to elaborate a little bit on. So it seems to me that potentially there is a huge amount of data that could be used fruitfully by cities, local administrators. And but of course, you try to do your best to explain. But is there something that, for example, can be done more structurally by the Commission as a sort of a platform to both make this data available to all the local administrators and mayors or regional those who have to do the plannings and also to, to to train because, for example, Europe is full of medium small cities. They probably don't have the capacity to use this data. So we need to help them. So I don't know if this is something that you have been discussing with the commission, or maybe this could be the opportunity in the framework of the housing plan. It could be the opportunity also to think about that. If we can have a platform that can make at the disposal of those cities and regions, uh, the data that they may, they may need for, uh, mapping. And the second and last thing, have you ever been asked to use your technology to map, for example, there are countries not mentioning which ones, but where you have a lot also of, um, how can I say not illegal, but, uh, you know, not registered homes or homes that were built without permitted or enlarged without permitting. So probably you're the kind of data you have could be used to do this mapping because they also create risks for, you know, in the environment. So I was wondering if that could be a use. Yes.”
  EU policy on urban development
• “So of course, what we are just to clarify to the colleagues, the mid term review, uh, gave this opportunity to allocate a certain amount of money to reallocate it to housing projects. The deadline was December 31st, which means like, uh, three months ago. So now we are presenting the results of the request. Of course, it's not that in three months, all this money has been spent and the projects built. It's a little bit unrealistic to think that this could be done in a month. Uh, but this is the purpose of the meetings that we are having here. This is the purpose of the exchange of views with Commissioner. So, Commissioner, you can be sure that may be, you know, well, next year I don't know if we will be here, but, uh, the Parliament for sure will keep monitoring. And then we will ask you to come and tell us how this is progressing, how the member States are doing with the money that now it's been allocated. So I think this is the whole point of what we're doing here. Here in the past year, we have been pushing and together with you, we have asked for more flexibility. The Commission has delivered and and the member states are using these instruments. Now, of course, it's all of our effort and duty to monitor, to make sure that this effort keeps going and delivers, uh, some, uh, some solutions. Uh, now we move to the catch the eye. I have several colleagues, uh, registered, so you have one minute each. Uh, we start with Borja Jimenez. Lara's for EBP.”
  EU policy on urban development
• “And yes, dear president, so during the both your intervention and some of the answers, I'm going back to crypto. You mentioned the risks that the diffusion of dollar pegged stablecoins in the European Union could have. Uh, we also have a study commissioned by the parliament that highlights this risk. And I'm just mentioning to that also emerged in the previous debate. You mentioned, for example, the differences in redemption policies between the EU and the US, which could put pressure on liquidity for banks. We've also mentioned the possible incentives for European workers to invest their salaries in dollar stablecoins due to different interest rates. So this is exactly the reason why we as co-legislators, when we were negotiating Micah, we deliberately excluded third country equivalence regime here. Okay, so now it seems and I'm also quoting what the colleague said, that the European Commission is about actually to permit all of this with a, with a Q&A that would allow that. How worried should we be? What could be the impact on the European Bank's business models? Their stability, the intimidation capacity and also their role in the transmission of monetary policy? Because I think this could be very disruptive. I would like to you to elaborate a little bit more on that. Thank you.”
  Use of stablecoins
• “Yes, thank you very much, chair. Mr. Michaud, congratulations on your confirmation. Uh, now, since one of your key responsibilities is to ensure the strategic and operational planning of the EBA and that it operates in line with its funding regulation. I would like to address an issue in this regard. Last year, in the latest CRR review, co-legislators explicitly called for a revision of the EBA guidelines on the definition of default in order to facilitate the application of forbearance measures by banks. Since the current guidelines appears to be too strict and makes the forbearance measures basically inapplicable and non-viable. The deadline is expired, but EBA has neither delivered on these nor justify the delay, so it only published a draft Guidelines that actually appear to disregard the mandate received, showing no substantial changes. So both the delay and the content of the draft guidelines raise concerns on how the EPA prioritizes and addresses the political instructions that are supposed to be binding. So can you explain why this clear political mandate has not been taken into account, and can we expect it to be duly reflected in the final version of the guidelines? So we all have, you know, a great respect for independent authorities and, you know, the important work that they do. We really appreciate it. However, the political mandates that you receive should be respected both in terms of timing and also content. Thank you very much.”
  Financial regulation