Op-ed: Beyond bricks-and-mortar – People-centred solutions for Decent and Affordable Housing for All

By Eva Brardinelli, Communications and Events Officer, EuroACE / Renovate Europe Campaign.

Since its launch, the Renovation Wave Strategy has been telling us that our building stock is not only made of “bricks-and-mortar”. People living in those buildings have been given a very important place within the Strategy, and an increasingly prominent voice in EU debates on the quality of housing and the universal right to access it.

The EMPL Committee adopted the own-initiative report “Access to Decent and Affordable Housing for All”, led by Rapporteur Kim Van Sparrentak, which shows that by investing in more energy efficient and affordable homes we will #PrioritisePeople, #AccelerateRenovation and #Renovate2Recover.

With energy poverty affecting more than 50 million citizens, the report makes it clear: the Renovation Wave is an unmissable opportunity, where energy savings can reduce energy costs, ease housing cost overburden and improve living conditions. Both the Commission and the Parliament found common ground in putting forward Minimum Energy Performance Standards to strengthen legal certainty for owners and tenants.