In the May session of Cafè Europa, organised by the Catalonia Europe Foundation, housing has been the focus of the debate with two key voices: Vicent Marzà, MEP for the Greens-EFA and vice-president of the Special Committee on the Housing Crisis in the European Parliament, and Luisa Fernanda Pinto Rodríguez, lawyer specialised in urban planning law and member of the PEMB. Both agreed on a key idea: housing is no longer a local problem, but a systemic crisis on a European scale.

Housing, from social right to financial asset

Luisa Fernanda Pinto opened the discussion with figures and context. She denounced the fact that more than 38% of low-income households have spent more than 40% of their income on housing, a figure that shows the growing gap between salaries and prices. This crisis, he said, is not a one-off: it has been caused by a model that has turned housing into a financial asset, forgetting its function as a social right.

Pinto identified a triple imbalance: between income and prices, between supply and demand, and between the social function and the speculative function of housing. He also warned about the massive disqualification of subsidised housing in Catalonia and Spain, which has led to the loss of more than 5 million homes in recent years, and defended the need to increase the affordable housing stock in a stable and permanent way.

Europe reacts: first steps towards a common policy

Vicent Marzà explained the work that has begun in the European Parliament with the creation of a special commission to study the housing crisis, which goes hand in hand with the appointment of Danish Dan Jørgensen as Commissioner in charge of this area. Although the EU has no direct competence in housing, he said it can have an impact through the regulatory framework, common standards and funding. ‘If there is political will, there is a way,’ he said, citing as an example the case of defence policy, where resources have been mobilised despite the lack of formal competences.

Marzà detailed that the commission has established three lines of work: study missions (the first in Barcelona), public appearances by various agents and the drafting of a report with proposals from the European Parliament so that the Commission can draw up a European agenda on housing, which must include regulation and funding, by the first quarter of 2026.

From the centre to the periphery: inequalities and alternatives

During the discussion, several territorial inequalities that accentuate the housing crisis in Europe were highlighted. The gap between northern and southern countries was pointed out, but also the imbalances within the member states themselves, such as the difficulties of access to housing in rural or peripheral environments in relation to the large metropolises.

In addition, the impact of transnational speculation was mentioned, such as the massive purchases of housing by northern residents in southern territories, which contribute to market tension and supply shortages. Both also highlighted the key role of metropolitan governance and advocated a polycentric model to overcome the current centralism of Barcelona.

An open agenda but with pressure

The conversation showed that the future of European housing policies has many paths, but also that it will require more alliances, funding and political commitment. ‘Cities must have direct access to European funds and these must also respond to the social crisis, not just the energy crisis,’ they agreed.

The conclusions of the European Parliament committee, which must include regulation and funding, will have to be presented during the first quarter of 2026 and the FCE will be in charge of taking them to Catalonia.