Spanish left puts housing front and centre in EU elections campaign

June's European Parliament elections will see governments working hard to turn out young voters with promises of change.

Transcript

00:00 In 2018, architect Inaki Alonso and 17 other families took the initiative to build their

00:06 own property in response to the soaring housing and rental prices, which have risen by up

00:12 to 70 percent in the last decade.

00:15 They created the first cooperative in Madrid under right of use, a formula halfway between

00:21 buying and renting, a building with common spaces and meeting spaces for neighbors who

00:27 enjoy two bedroom apartments for about 650 euros per month.

00:32 "The situation is really dramatic.

00:35 For 600 euros, if you get a room, it's already an achievement."

00:43 But the Entrepatios cooperative was also born to show that it is possible to create housing

00:48 while eliminating speculation.

00:51 "With this type of project, we make sure that the prices will be stable because no one can

00:58 sell their home.

01:00 They can't raise their rent, they can't rent it, so they can't speculate with the

01:07 apartment and the price is stable."

01:09 Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has met with representatives from the housing sector and

01:13 has announced an impactful measure, the end of the Golden Visa scheme, which granted foreigners

01:18 permanent residency by buying property in the country.

01:23 "But beyond the real scope of the measure, Pedro Sánchez has given the first shot of

01:28 the pre-election campaign of the European elections.

01:31 Housing will be one of the main axes in the struggle of the left to conquer the youngest

01:36 voters."

01:37 Access to housing is one of the main concerns for those under 35.

01:41 In the last decade, rental prices have risen 17 times more than wages.

01:47 "We have a very acute crisis of affordability, which is leading to two out of every ten

01:54 homes in a severe poverty situation after the payment of their housing.

01:58 The problem is so serious that it is reaching middle classes.

02:02 We have more than 250,000 homes with intermediate income that remain in this situation of poverty."

02:09 Spanish entities seek to import the Housing Association scheme, a model that has proven

02:14 to be effective in places such as Vienna, where the affordable housing stock is 20%

02:19 compared to Spain's 2%.

02:21 A model of housing provision managed by non-profit or limited-profit entities, so that housing

02:27 becomes a right again.

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