The 11th Liberal Mayors Summit took place on October 5th in Estoril, Portugal during the ALDE Party Congress, where members of our network discussed the housing crisis in Europe and looked for local solutions to share with the newly designated European Commissioner for Housing.
At this year’s annual Liberal Mayors Summit, the focus turned to Europe’s escalating housing crisis, with mayors highlighting its wide-reaching consequences. The lack of affordable housing is affecting not just individuals and families but entire communities, limiting access to stable living conditions, increasing financial insecurity, and hindering social mobility. The issue is also raising concerns about the impact on democratic stability, the functioning of the European Single Market, and the EU’s transition to a green economy.
Liberal mayors from all over Europe raised different housing concerns, depending on the region they come from, such as the growing trend of new housing developments being sold as short-term rentals, instead of being made available for local residents at market rates. Many argued that housing should prioritize the needs of local citizens, not profits from tourists. Urban planning and zoning laws are some of the other obstacles encountered. In many places, low supply is the problem, but not everywhere: in Estonia for example, there is plenty of housing stock, but not enough people. A common dilemma that local and regional authorities also face is the struggle to secure the necessary funds to develop affordable housing on their own, as housing is not an EU competence according to the EU Treaty.
In a significant move, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has, for the first time, made housing part of a European Commissioner’s portfolio. Liberal mayors from across Europe, who face the realities of the housing crisis on a daily basis, therefore used the Summit as an opportunity to exchange insights and share solutions being implemented at the local level. Our group plans to compile all the findings into a report that will be submitted to the newly appointed European Commissioner for Housing.
At an Extraordinary Meeting of our political Group held the day after, on October 6th, local councillors from the host party – Iniciativa Liberal – along with our members, convened to address the broader impact of Europe’s housing shortage and the unique challenges faced by various regions across the continent. The discussion was steered by a presentation from Andres Jaadla, local leader from Rakvere, Estonia, who shared findings from his CoR Opinion on smart, sustainable, and affordable housing, Gillian Coughlan, local councillor in Cork, Ireland, Angelique Da Teresa, Vice-President of Iniciativa Liberal and Gonçalo Cordeiro, national advisor of Iniciativa Liberal.
The Liberal Mayors Summit and Extraordinary Group Meeting with local councillors were organised as side events during the 2024 ALDE Party Congress, which took place on 4-6 October in Estoril, Portugal. Liberal parties and partners from across Europe convened for the Congress, where they elected MEP Svenja Hahn as the new President, along with a newly appointed Bureau.
For further details on the Congress, click here.
9 Liberal Mayors from eight different countries participated in this year’s edition: Fintan Phelan (Mayor of Carlow, Ireland), Urmas Sukles (Mayor of Haapsalu, Estonia), Tiago Mayan (Mayor of Aldoar, Foz do Douro e Nevogilde, in Porto, Portugal), Ivica Puljak (Mayor of Split, Croatia), Francois Decoster (Mayor of St Omer, France), Dominic Fritz (Mayor of Timișoara, Romania), Clare Colleran Molloy (Mayor of Ennis, Ireland), Erling Moe (Mayor of Trondheim, Norway), Eleanor Rylance (Chair of East Devon District Council, England).
To access more photos from the event, click here.
Responding to a growing demand to hear the voice of liberal and democrat mayors on matters of European relevance, the Renew Europe group in the European Committee of the Regions launched the Liberal Mayors Network during the 2015 ALDE Party Congress in Budapest. The positive response from many liberal and democrat mayors to this initiative revealed a clear demand amongst the mayors themselves for this kind of initiative. The network organizes annual meetings during the ALDE Party Congress.
