Il-pajjiżi Ewropej għandhom jevalwaw mill-ġdid il-politika tad-djar

Sant ivvota favur riżoluzzjoni plenarja dwar l-aċċess għal akkomodazzjoni diċenti għal kulħadd li għandha l-għan li tifformula proposti politiċi dwar id-djar fl-Unjoni Ewropea.

“Ivvotajt favur biex nibgħat messaġġ politiku f’waqtu f’mument meta numru dejjem jikber ta’ Ewropej qed jiffaċċjaw diffikultajiet dwar access ta’ livell diċenti ta’ djar” Alfred Sant qal fil-plenarja tal-Parlament Ewropew.

“Il-gvernijiet għandhom bżonn jaffermaw rieda politika biex itejbu l-provvista tad-djar fis-suq. Bl-istess mod, ir-regoli tal-UE dwar l-għajnuna mill-istat dwar l-akkomodazzjoni soċjali għandhom ikunu rilassati ”.

Alfred Sant qal li l-emerġenza dwar id-djar ilha takkumula għal għexieren ta’ snin. Il-politika tas-suq ħieles bla rażan fil-politika tad-djar, flimkien mal-kriżi finanzjarja tal-2008 u l-miżuri t’awsterità kabbru dan il-fenomenu.

Hemm 80 miljun persuna fl-UE mgħobbija żżejjed bl-ispejjeż tad-djar u madwar għaxra fil-mija tal-popolazzjoni tal-UE nefqu erbgħin fil-mija jew aktar tad-dħul tagħhom fuq id-djar.

Alfred Sant qal li dan għandu jkun il-pedament tal-impenn tal-UE biex issaħħaħ il-pilastru soċjali tal-azzjoni tal-UE filwaqt li miżuri biex tiġi evitata ripetizzjoni tal-ħsara soċjali tal-2008 fis-settur tad-djar għandhom jinkudu dak kollu possibbli.

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European countries must revaluate national housing policies

Sant voted in favour of a plenary resolution on the access to decent and affordable housing for all which aims to outline policy proposals regarding housing policies in the EU.

“I voted in favour because it sends a timely political message at a moment when a growing number of Europeans are facing difficulties to access a decent level of housing” Alfred Sant told the plenary of the European Parliament.

“Governments need to assert political will to enhance and deepen the supply side of the market. Likewise, EU state aid rules on social housing should be relaxed”.    

Alfred Sant said the housing emergency has been piling up for decades. Free market laissez-faire in housing policies, plus the 2008 financial crisis and the austerity measures that followed magnified the phenomenon.

There are 80 million people in the EU overburdened by housing costs and around ten per cent of the EU population spent forty per cent or more of their income on housing. 

Alfred Sant said this should be a mainstay of the EU’s commitment to strengthen the social pillar of EU action and measures to avoid a repeat of the 2008 social debacle in the housing sector must reflect an “all that it takes” approach.