How do you stop the rise of the far right? Build houses

The article titled "How do you stop the rise of the far right? Build houses" is authored by Aitor Hernández-Morales, Jacopo Barigazzi, Barbara Moens, and Giovanna Coi, and it is part of POLITICO’s Global Policy Lab: Living Cities, a collaborative journalism project focused on the future of urban living. It examines the pressing housing crisis in Europe and its implications on social dynamics and political landscapes.

In cities like Dublin, the housing situation has become increasingly dire, with rental prices more than doubling since 2013 due to a stagnant affordable housing stock that has not kept pace with population growth. Tomas Santillan, a florist living in Dublin, describes the flat-hunting process as "extremely hard and tiring," often requiring prospective tenants to compete with dozens of others for a single apartment, leading to absurd situations where individuals pay high rents for shared accommodations.

The article highlights that average rents across the European Union have increased by 19 percent over the past decade, while house prices have surged by 47 percent. In Germany, one in five households now spends 40 percent of its disposable income on housing. This rising cost of living has sparked protests in various cities, including Lisbon, Amsterdam, and Milan, as citizens express their frustration over the increasing unaffordability of housing.

The housing crisis has also been exploited by far-right groups, as seen in Dublin, where anti-immigrant sentiment has been partially fueled by claims that council flats are being allocated to foreigners. In response, mainstream political parties within the EU are attempting to reclaim housing as a central political issue, aiming to mobilize moderate voters and counteract the rising influence of right-wing parties.

Experts argue that the root of the housing problem lies not in immigration, but in decades of policy mismanagement. Sorcha Edwards, secretary-general of Housing Europe, notes that the housing shortage is primarily due to public authorities abdicating their responsibility to the private sector, with many countries, like the Netherlands, lacking dedicated housing ministers for extended periods.

In light of the current crisis, mainstream parties have initiated campaigns to make housing a key issue, exemplified by two manifestos: the Brussels Declaration and the Housing Europe Manifesto. These documents call for urgent action from the EU to address housing as a significant concern that affects not just low-income residents, but also middle-class workers like teachers and police officers.

Although housing is not the EU's direct responsibility, there are calls for a coordinated approach at the EU level, including the establishment of a task force focused on housing policy. Proposals suggest that significant funding, akin to the Next Generation EU recovery package, is essential to build public housing and facilitate energy-efficient renovations.

The article underscores the critical nature of the housing crisis across Europe, emphasizing that failure to address this issue could lead to eroded trust in EU institutions. As the situation evolves, the need for sustainable housing solutions becomes increasingly urgent, with implications that reach far beyond mere economics to touch upon social stability and cohesion.