In this episode we look at a crisis that is affecting many Europeans in most EU countries: skyrocketing rents and house prices, a shortage of flats, long waiting lists for social or affordable housing — commonplace problems from Greece to Luxembourg to Portugal.
Host Sarah Wheaton talks to POLITICO's Aitor Hernández-Morales and Sorcha Edwards, secretary general of Housing Europe, about the causes of the crisis, its impact across the bloc (including far-right parties using it as an election platform), and solutions at the EU level. Are there any, given that housing is not an EU competence?
Then we hear from Dutch Green MEP Kim Van Sparrentak about housing challenges in her native Netherlands and her efforts to get the European Parliament and the Commission to get more involved in tackling the crisis. And Sarah speaks to Ans Persoons, secretary of state for the Brussels-Capital Region, who explains how the EU's defacto capital is struggling to keep up with affordable housing demands.
And as mentioned in the show, here's where you can read the article written by our guest Aitor Hernández-Morales, together with colleagues Jacopo Barigazzi, Barbara Moens and Giovanna Coi: How do you stop the rise of the far right? Build houses.
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Episode 81: Historian Felix Klos — Divided Europe in data
Episode 80: Netflix's David Hyman
Episode 79: Gayle Smith — New Year's resolutions & predictions
Episode 78: Carles Puigdemont — Ai Weiwei — Tajani awards
Episode 77: EU presidential contender Frans Timmermans — Tibor Navracsics
Episode 76, presented by Ericsson: Carlos Moedas - Macron's climb down - Denmark's immigration plan
Episode 75, presented by Google: Debating Diversity — Hillary's migrant misfire
Episode 74 presented by Tetra Pak: The Green episode, with Ska Keller, Bas Eickhout, Petra De Sutter
Episode 73, presented by Future Europe Podcast: Rose Gottemoeller — Brexit deal — Merkel's vision
Episode 72, presented by EFPIA: Bill Browder & Russia — US midterms — Picking politicians
Episode 71, presented by Google: Malin Björk & Merkel's legacy
Episode 70, presented by Thai Union: Special Oceans-themed episode with Karmenu Vella, Werner Hoyer
Episode 69, presented by Corteva Agriscience: Bill Gates and Emmanuel Macron's youth wing
Episode 68, presented by UNESDA: Manfred Weber wants to recast the European Commission presidency
Episode 67, Alexander Stubb on why he should be European Commission president
Episode 66, presented by Qualcomm: OSCE chief — Montenegro's foreign minister — MEP expenses
Episode 65, presented by Google: Emily O'Reilly — Vestager vs. German carmakers — Macron's job tips
Episode 64, presented by Qualcomm: Lyor Cohen — Alain Deneef — Democracy festival
Episode 63, presented by Qualcomm: Dimitris Avramopoulos — Selmayrgate — Election fever
Episode 62 — Inside Europe's right-wing extremist groups with Julia Ebner
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