Audizione Legacoop Abitanti, Commissione Ambiente Camera dei Deputati (15 luglio 2025)

The document records the hearing of Rossana Zaccaria, President of Legacoop Abitanti, before the Italian Chamber of Deputies’ Environment, Territory and Public Works Committee on 15 July 2025. It presents Legacoop’s observations on three draft laws (C. 1169 Furfaro, C. 1562 San Gallo, C. 2181 Grimaldi) concerning public residential building programmes, fiscal incentives for the refurbishment of public housing stock, and support for affordable rental housing. The hearing was automatically submitted by the EHC profile routine and is publicly available through the Chamber’s website.

Legacoop Abitanti, founded in 1961, is the national association representing housing cooperatives within the broader Legacoop federation, which dates back to 1886 and now counts over 10 000 cooperatives and more than 7 million members. The federation’s annual turnover exceeds €80 billion, and its production sector (Legacoop Produzione e Servizi) employs around 144 000 workers. The publisher of the document is the Camera dei Deputati, the lower house of the Italian Parliament, and the author of the hearing testimony is Rossana Zaccaria.

• Legacoop reports more than 330 000 housing units built, including about 40 000 units under indivisible ownership.
• The proposed decennial plan aims to construct 20 000 new dwellings of roughly 70–80 m² each, at a total cost of €4.9 billion (net of VAT).
• Financial breakdown: construction cost €4.06 billion (82 % of total), land €250 million (5 %), urbanisation €90 million (2 %).
• Public financing envisaged: €1.496 billion for land, urbanisation and design; direct public contribution €600 million over ten years.
• Private financing: equity €491 million, debt €3.315 billion, resulting in a per‑unit public grant of €80 000 and private equity of €190 000.
• Expected rental rates: €60–75 per m² per year, i.e. €350–450 per month for a 70 m² unit.
• The European Cohesion Fund is projected to double its allocation for affordable housing, offering a 30 % pre‑financing in 2026 and a 100 % co‑financing rate thereafter.

Legacoop critiques several measures in the draft laws:

• Incentives linking the sale of social‑rent units to occupants are deemed ineffective.
• A proposed national‑local fund for acquiring and building housing faces affordability challenges due to high rents.
• Urban‑planning derogations risk inconsistent local implementation. Legacoop recommends clearer, unified urban‑planning guidelines and stresses the need for sustainable, socially inclusive housing models that integrate energy efficiency and community services.

The proposal aligns with EU priorities: the European Commission’s mid‑term Cohesion Policy revision (2021‑2027) includes affordable housing as a new strategic objective, with a €10 billion plan from the European Investment Bank to deliver 1.5 million homes. Legacoop suggests a public‑private partnership model, leveraging EU grants, BEI loans, and private equity, with the European Investment Bank acting as a key guarantor. The plan also anticipates additional funding from national and regional sources, including FSE and FESR programmes.

A two‑tier governance structure is proposed: a governmental tier (national and regional authorities) sets objectives and oversight, while a technical management tier, delegated to an operational body, handles day‑to‑day execution. Stakeholder consultation includes trade unions and cooperative representatives. The model emphasises transparent allocation of public contributions, grant‑to‑debt ratios, and compliance with State Aid rules under the EU’s Servizi di Interesse Generale framework.

The initiative targets 20 000 energy‑efficient dwellings, promoting renewable energy communities, retrofitting existing stock, and integrating social housing within broader urban regeneration schemes. By combining public grants with long‑term, low‑interest debt (3 % expected) and ensuring rent levels remain affordable, the plan aims to mitigate the European housing affordability crisis, where 67 % of global wealth is tied up in real estate.