Brnjac is asking for more apartments and less bureaucracy, the EP adopted a report on the housing crisis

Among the key representatives who participated in the drafting of the Report was the Croatian MEP Nikolina Brnjac, coordinator of the EPP club in the Housing Crisis Committee. Through her amendments, she emphasized the need for a stronger focus of European funds after 2027 on the actual construction of apartments in the new European budget, the need to regulate short-term rentals, the importance of renovating abandoned industrial zones, and a clear position that the EU should help remove obstacles and create better conditions, and not burden the market with new rules. In her address at the plenary session, she warned that millions of Europeans today face insecurity regarding the housing issue.

– Young people work, get an education and build careers, but they increasingly feel that providing housing, which was normal for generations before them, has become unattainable today. And without a home, there is no family, no planning for the future, no demographic stability – said Brnjac.

She also pointed out that Europe has a serious problem of insufficient housing supply. According to EC estimates, around 1.6 million homes are built annually in the EU, while at least 650 thousand additional apartments need to be built each year to meet the needs for affordable housing.

For this reason, she called on the European Commission to present the Housing Simplification Package as soon as possible, which would reduce bureaucracy, speed up construction and renovation, and simplify the rules. She especially emphasized that building permits must become completely digital and much faster, with the aim of issuing them within 60 days.

Brnjac also emphasized the need to mobilize land for the construction of affordable apartments and to simplify laws on the national, regional and local levels related to spatial planning and construction.
– Member States should also use incentive tax frameworks in order to facilitate access to housing for young people and families, which Croatia does. čini- she said.

She specifically referred to the problem of short-term rental, stressing that it is necessary to find a balance between the development of tourism and the right of the local population to affordable housing.
– We must tackle short-term rentals responsibly, not in order to prevent tourism, but in order to achieve a balance: the goal is that tourism brings development, but that the local population can continue to live in their environment – she said.

In the debate, she referred to the speech of MP Marko Vešligaj from the SDP, stating that the president of his party recently told young people that they should come to terms with renting apartments.

– Citizens do not need a message that they will be tenants all their lives. Our goal must be to enable young people to reach their own home. At the same time, in Zagreb, where Mozcaronemo and the SDP are in power, not a single apartment for affordable housing has been built after five years in office,” Brnjac pointed out. She also reminded of the measures that are mostly being implemented in Croatia, including the package of laws presented by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Branko Bačić, as well as the Affordable Housing Act. which is currently in the parliamentary procedure.In addition, the Agency for Legal Traffic and Real Estate Mediation has also issued a public call for affordable rent of empty apartments and the interest of young people for a tax refund on their first property, for which 4,729 requests were received.

According to the data she presented, 346 apartments are currently under construction, while another 515 apartments are in the preparation phase throughout Croatia, with the goal of building a total of 8,000 residential units for sale and rent by 2030.