The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD and Barry Andrews MEP met today to discuss a number of key housing policies.
They discussed the many funding measures, soft law initiatives and regulations originating in the European Union which impact on member state housing policies.
Speaking following the meeting Minister O’Brien said, “I was very grateful to meet with Barry Andrews today. While housing policy is a matter for each member state it is very useful to get a European perspective from our Dublin MEP.
“Access to good-quality housing to purchase or rent at an affordable price, built to a high standard and located close to essential services is a cornerstone of the Programme for Government and the same can be said across various member states also.
“Barry’s insights in terms of over-arching EU initiatives, regulations and funding opportunities are invaluable and I hope to continue collaborating with him into the future.
Barry Andrews MEP said, “As MEP for Dublin I am acutely aware of the impact the housing crisis is having on people. Despite not having any direct role in the housing policies of member states there are many compatible EU programmes which will impact on such policies. In particular, I have discussed with the Minister the need for further EU exemptions on State Aid rules regarding investment in social housing.
“Another promising future EU-level initiative to address housing affordability in Europe is the InvestEU Programme146, which will bring together under one roof the multitude of EU financial instruments currently available. Investments in social housing, including energy efficient social housing projects are one of the areas addressed by the programme,” concluded Barry Andrews MEP.
