EU ministers strengthen their commitment to access to decent housing in the Gijón Declaration
EU Housing and Urban Development officials have strengthened their commitment to ensuring access to decent and affordable housing for all European citizens with the adoption of the Gijón Declaration.
In the Declaration, ministers also support more sustainable, healthy and inclusive urban development.
The informal ministerial meeting held at La Laboral Ciudad de Cultura in Gijón, within the framework of the Spanish presidency of the Council of the EU, was chaired by the acting Minister for Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez, who set the two main points of the meeting: housing and urban development policies and the promotion of "friendlier, more resilient, more sustainable cities".
The Gijón Declaration calls for the further development of housing policies at EU level, in a context marked by the existence of "major challenges" in this area, such as the persistent rise in prices and the growing lack of supply.
In the text, ministers point out that 8.7% of the EU population spends more than 40% of their income on housing, a percentage that rises to 20.8% if all households living in market-rate rented accommodation are considered.
Moreover, as the majority of Europe's population lives in urban areas, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find affordable housing, especially in stressed areas.
For this reason, the right approach to tackling housing and urban development challenges, according to the declaration, is via "collaboration between all levels of government (European, national, regional and local) through governance instruments", including the Urban Agenda for the EU, "a key instrument" in this regard. EU member states should also take advantage of the opportunities offered by EU funding from the Multiannual Financial Framework and the NextGenerationEU Funds.
The Gijón Declaration also highlights sustainability as an area of "enormous potential" for housing and urban development in the EU to ensure that buildings adapt to the effects of climate change.
Cities are engines of economic growth, but at the same time they are responsible for 70% of emissions and consume 60% of resources.
For this reason, the European building stock "must be adapted to respond to the demands that lie ahead, in terms of quality, functionality and accessibility of buildings, as well as energy efficiency and conservation", says the Gijón Declaration.
The document concludes that the promotion and implementation of housing policies should consider "the development of a high quality, healthy, inclusive and environmentally sustainable built environment in urban and rural areas, improving governance and sharing good practices and positive experiences from different countries".
The Deputy Director General of the European Commission's Urban and Regional Policy department, Normunds Popens, told the press conference that he was "pleased" with the Gijón Declaration, whose principles need to be addressed "in an inclusive way", paying attention to the need to "integrate marginalised communities into the decision-making process".
The acting minister for transport, mobility and urban agenda presented the Spanish Urban Agenda, which highlights the benefits of having a strategic, cross-cutting policy aligned with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the principles of the United Nations New Urban Agenda.
Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union