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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Ep 193, presented by the European Training Foundation: Vax attacks — German scandals — Syria conflict
Ep 192: AstraZeneca limbo — Vaccine export bans — COVID disinformation
Ep 191: German election journey — EESC in spotlight
Ep 190: EU solidarity jabbed — Vaccine passports — China relations
Ep 189: Message to Moscow — Frontier fracas — Euro English
Ep 188: Mario Draghi's return — Italian influence — Is the EU funny?
Ep 187, presented by Equinor: Borrell Russia rumpus — Macron's rivals — Lithuania's foreign minister
Ep 186, presented by Equinor: Vaccine export fiasco — Von der Leyen's line — Belgian virologist
Ep 185, presented by BP: Europe's vaccine blame game — Brussels bubble struggles
Ep 184: Europe reacts to Biden's inauguration — Merkel succession
Ep 183: CDU contenders — Platforms and politicians — 'Good' countries
Ep 182: Vaccine vexation — EU-UK deal — Previewing 2021
Ep 181, presented by Google: Reflecting on 2020
Ep 180, presented by Shell: EU deals on climate & budget — Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya
Ep 179, presented by Equinor: Von der Leyen's first year reviewed — Manfred Weber interview
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