EU housing crisis committee to visit Barcelona and Badalona May 26–28

A delegation of MEPs from the European Parliament's special committee on the housing crisis will visit Barcelona and Badalona from May 26 to 28 May.

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).

During the visit, they will meet with the mayors of Barcelona, ​​Jaume Collboni, and Badalona, ​​Xavier García Albiol, and Spain's Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodríguez.

Examine root causes

This is the first mission to be carried out by the European Parliament's special committee on the housing crisis, created this term to "thoroughly examine the root causes of the current housing crisis and propose concrete, actionable solutions at the European level."

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

It is tasked with mapping housing needs, analysing existing housing policies across the EU and contributing to the European Commission's upcoming European affordable housing plan.

One of the aims of the visit to Catalonia, according to the European Parliament, is to assess cities that are tourist destinations and that have experienced a significant increase in short-term rentals, which has led to a transformation of the housing market, and to learn from the strategies that cities implemented to address the issue. 

ERC MEP Diana Riba stressed in statements to the media the importance of Barcelona hosting the delegation's first visit so that the committee's final report can include Catalonia's housing needs.

Agenda

On Monday, May 26, MEPs will meet with representatives of the Spanish and Catalan governments and Barcelona City Council, including Spanish housing minister Isabel Rodríguez, Catalan territory minister Sílvia Paneque, and Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni. 

The will visit Càritas and its Llar Betània project, a housing project for women undergoing social reintegration.

On Tuesday, May 27, the delegation will be in Badalona to meet representatives from the city council, including mayor Xavier García Albiol.

This will be followed by a meeting with social organisations at the European Parliament's liaison office in Barcelona: the UGT union, the Tenants' Union (Sindicat de Llogateres), and the Federation of Barcelona Neighborhood Associations.

In the 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, Catalan businesses association Foment del Treball, the Catalan Landlords Association, and the Cercle d’Economia economic think tank.

On Wednesday, May 28, the MEPs will meet with experts and researchers from various universities and research institutions at the European Parliament premises in Barcelona.

At 12 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.