As the rapid rise in rents and housing prices across Europe becomes a topic of political debate, activists believe they have a rare opportunity to bring the issue of housing to the top of the agenda
It was billed as one of the largest real estate events in Europe, attracting up to 15,000 people, from investment firms to developers. However, as the trade show and the “District” kicked off last week in Madrid, housing rights activists from 140 organizations around the world appeared, determined to organize their own “counter-summit” to oppose the idea of housing as a financial asset.
Many of the activists arrived in the Spanish capital just as Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman who uses a wheelchair, was evicted from the apartment where she had lived for seven decades. As outrage over the eviction led to days of protests and a tent city in the heart of Madrid, the presence of activists from Italy to Ireland served as a poignant reminder of the global nature of the housing crisis.
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The eviction underscored just how difficult it has become for so many people around the world to access housing, said Teresa Mamede, a housing rights activist from Lisbon who traveled to Madrid for the counter-summit. “None of us is safe from something like this happening to us.”
Both in Greece and across the rest of Europe, the media and citizen movements have long highlighted the severity of the housing crisis. Within the EU, prices skyrocketed by 53% between 2010 and 2024, according to Eurostat, while rents rose by 25% over the same period.
Not all countries have been affected equally, however; while Vienna remains a shining exception thanks to its abundant supply of public housing, which has kept rental costs in check, Estonia has seen rents skyrocket by 208% over the same period, while Ireland and Hungary have seen increases of over 100%, as noted by the British Guardian.
Part of the rapid rise in costs can be attributed to the “ever-intensifying social experiment” unfolding in Europe, as researcher Tim White noted last year, as officials examine whether the mechanisms of financial capitalism can meet the fundamental need for housing.
In contrast, vulnerable groups and minorities have been disproportionately affected by market failures, while others warn that the crisis could drive voters into the arms of the far right, which is gaining strength in Europe. “We cannot remain stuck in rhetoric about defending democracy, inclusive societies, and equal opportunities if people’s standard of living is deteriorating,” Jaume Collboni, mayor of Barcelona, emphasized last year.
The success of the Left in Germany and the rise of the far right in Europe
Voters in Berlin, however, recently chose a different path. In a city where rents have risen by nearly 70% over the past decade, a quarter of voters backed the left-wing party Die Linke in this month’s state elections, making the Left the strongest party in Berlin.
The strategy behind their success was not complicated at all, as The Guardian Europe points out: “Because, more than any other party in this election campaign, Die Linke made the issue of housing unmistakably its own: the question of who can live in Berlin and at what cost.”
Some have sought common solutions to the shared crisis. At the Madrid counter-summit, activists formed a pan-European alliance to demand open-ended leases and rent controls across the continent.
Earlier this month, dozens of organizations launched the European Citizens’ Initiative, calling on citizens to sign the petition for EU-wide measures aimed at protecting tenants, curb speculation, and convert vacant buildings into housing. “In every European country, in every major survey, and across all age groups, housing emerges as citizens’ top concern,” the initiative notes. “We see it and feel it every day: workers who can no longer afford to live in the city where they work, young people who cannot move out of their parents’ homes, tenants being evicted from their neighborhoods following renovations, empty buildings while people sleep on the streets.”
Greece’s Sad Record for Housing Costs
At the same time, Greece ranks first in the European Union in terms of the burden of housing costs relative to income.
Greek households spend, on average, 35.5% to 36.2% of their disposable income exclusively on housing (rent/mortgage payments, electricity, water, heating, and common-area fees), a percentage that is nearly four times the European average (9.3%).
In its latest report, the European Commission highlights that the Greek housing market exhibits certain peculiarities that exacerbate these imbalances:
- A large proportion of the building stock is outdated and energy-inefficient.
- Limited investment in renovations following the economic crisis.
- A significant proportion of homes that are not used as primary residences.
- Insufficient growth in the supply of new housing relative to demand.
According to the Commission, these factors create a market where the available supply does not adequately meet the needs of households, leading to higher prices and rents.
Spain: “This Is Just the Beginning”
In Spain, however, where the multi-day encampment in Madrid led to the creation of similar encampments in cities such as Barcelona, Seville, and Palma de Mallorca, the protests have already begun to have an impact.
Maricarmen, the 80-year-old woman who had been evicted, will be allowed to return to her apartment, as confirmed on Tuesday. Her rent will remain at around 500 euros per month, the amount she has been paying for years —significantly lower than the 2,650 euros initially demanded by the investment firm that owns her apartment.
This week, the Spanish government also announced that it had approved two decrees on housing, which include reforms such as a ban on evictions until 2030, as well as regulations on short-term rentals and room-by-room rentals. However, these measures must now be approved by the country’s divided parliament.
No one can predict exactly what will happen next for the housing movement that has shaken Spain in recent days. With the specter of general elections looming and the Socialist-led coalition desperately trying to shore up its base of progressive voters, young activists have identified a unique opportunity to address an issue that Spaniards have long considered one of the country’s biggest problems.
“The coming days will be critical,” the Madrid Tenants’ Union said on Tuesday, calling for new protests this weekend. “A historic window of opportunity has opened to reverse decades of the commodification of housing. That is why we must step up the pressure.”
Or, as the Málaga Tenants’ Union put it: “This is just the beginning.”
Source: in.gr
