As soaring rents and house prices across Europe feed into the political discourse, campaigners believe they have a rare opportunity to force housing to the top of the agenda.
Counter-Summit in Madrid
Last week, the District trade show and summit in Madrid attracted as many as 15,000 attendees, including investment firms and developers. However, housing campaigners from 140 organizations worldwide gathered to hold their own "counter-summit" aimed at challenging the perception of housing as merely a financial asset.
Many campaigners arrived in Madrid as Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman who uses a wheelchair, faced eviction from her apartment of 70 years. Her eviction sparked protests and an encampment in the heart of Madrid, highlighting the global dimension of the housing crisis. Teresa Mamede, a housing campaigner from Lisbon, remarked,
“"Nobody among us is safe from having this happen to them."
The Depth of the Crisis
The Guardian has extensively reported on the housing crisis across Europe. According to Eurostat, housing prices in the EU soared by 53% between 2010 and 2024, while rents increased by 25% during the same period. The impact has not been uniform; for instance, Vienna has maintained a robust public housing stock that has kept rental costs in check, whereas Estonia has seen rents surge by 208%. Ireland and Hungary have also experienced increases exceeding 100%.
Research fellow Tim White noted last year that the ongoing social experiment in Europe is failing to meet the fundamental need for housing, stating,
“"The evidence now seems overwhelming: no."
Vulnerable populations and minorities are disproportionately affected, raising concerns that the crisis could push voters toward far-right parties. Jaume Collboni, the mayor of Barcelona, emphasized the urgency of addressing living standards, saying,
