Tenants’ Union urges EU to adopt Amsterdam model and ban 'speculative purchases'

The Tenants' Union (Sindicat de Llogateres) has urged the European Union to adopt Amsterdam's housing model, where "speculative purchases" are banned.

"We need to move in that direction," spokesperson Carme Arcarazo said, referring to the Dutch capital's policy that, in general, restricts home purchases to primary residence use only.

"What we're seeing right now is the hoarding of housing, and we need the opposite," Arcarazo told media after a meeting with MEPs from the EU housing crisis committee.

The UGT and CCOO unions, as well as the Federation of Barcelona Neighborhood Associations (FAVB) also attended the meeting on Tuesday.

CCOO secretary general Belén López said rent prices should be tied to wages, rather than "the market and profitability."

Call for regulation

After the meeting with the MEPs, the CCOO and UGT unions, the Tenants' Union, and the FAVB all agreed on the need to regulate the housing market – either by restricting purchases to those intending to use the property as a primary residence, or by defending current legislation, which includes rent caps in so-called tense housing zones. 

Carme Arcarazo reiterated the need to regulate short-term rentals and room rentals, emphasizing that "we need to act now."

She described the meeting with the MEPs as "very thorough" but criticized the committee for not including organizations like the PAH (Platform for People Affected by Mortgages), and for meeting with mayor of Badalona, Xavier Garcia Albiol, earlier on Tuesday.

"It’s shameful. The mayor of Badalona is no example – especially when it comes to housing policy," she stated.

Even so, Arcarazo stressed the importance of participating in the meeting with the MEPs, even if it was an "uncomfortable," in order to explain the seriousness of the situation

"Above all, to make it clear that we won't solve the housing crisis just by building more," she added.

UGT secretary general Camil Ros called for "comprehensive regulation," so that people across Catalonia can access "affordable prices," both for rent and for buying.

He also said that the current housing law has succeeded in slowing down rent hikes.

CCOO's Belén López told the MEPs that the housing crisis in Catalonia "is the result of policies aimed directly at turning a right into a business," and argued that rental income should be tied to wages.

Miquel Borràs, president of the FAVB, said the origin of the housing crisis lies "in a series of laws, incentives, and tax privileges given to the real estate sector," which have enabled housing assets to become concentrated in few hands.

"Right now, disposable income has effectively been hijacked by one economic sector," Borràs said, stressing that the housing crisis is affecting more and more people.

Badalona mayor: Law doesn't work

On Tuesday morning, the mayor of Badalona, Xavier Garcia Albiol, told members of the European Parliament's special committee on the housing crisis that the current housing law "doesn’t work."

Albiol argued that the law has a negative impact on the rental market and is driving residents out of cities like his.

Citing a report from the website Idealista, Albiol claimed that, as of Monday, only 71 properties were available to rent in Badalona, out of 87,000 total homes in the city.

Albiol, of the conservative People's Party (PP), also took aim at left-wing Podemos MEP Irene Montero and other members of the committee who chose not to attend the meeting for political reasons. "It reveals the sad and petty mindset of this woman," he said.

Housing crisis committee's three-day visit

On Monday, Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni warned the EU housing crisis committee that "the rules of the game must be changed to guarantee the right to housing," adding that the Socialists are "doing just that."

On Tuesday afternoon, MEPs will visit Fundació Hàbitat3, a social housing foundation that ensures access to decent housing for vulnerable groups.

They will then return to the European Parliament’s liaison office in Barcelona to meet with economic stakeholders: the Catalan Association of Property Developers and Builders, the Barcelona Tourist Apartments Association, the Catalan Businesses Association Foment del Treball, the Catalan Landlords Association, and the Cercle d’Economia economic think tank.

On Wednesday the MEPs will meet with experts and researchers from various universities and research institutions at the European Parliament premises in Barcelona.

At noon, there will be a press conference with Irene Tinagli, the head of the delegation.

Throughout the year, the committee plans to travel to at least three more cities, with the next visit scheduled to the Austrian capital Vienna in July.

Examining root causes of housing crisis

The purpose of the committee is to “thoroughly examine the root causes of the current housing crisis and propose concrete, actionable solutions at a European level.” 

Another reason behind the committee’s visit to the two Catalan cities is to evaluate the cities that are tourist destinations and have experienced a significant short-term increase in rent prices, as well as analyze the implemented "strategies” to solve the problem.

The committee was established on 30 January 2025 to propose solutions for decent, sustainable, and affordable housing for all European citizens within twelve months.

The delegation will be led by the chair of the committee, the Italian Irene Tinagli, of the Socialists and Democrats, and will be accompanied by five other MEPs, from Greece, Croatia, Romania, Czechia, and the Netherlands.

Five Spanish MEPs will accompany the delegation: Borja Giménez (People's Party), Alícia Homs (Socialists), Margarita de la Pisa (Vox), Diana Riba (Esquerra Republicana), and Irene Montero (Podemos).