The Party of European Socialists (PES) Group at the Committee of the Regions held its external meeting “A Europe that has your back” in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, uniting progressive leaders to push EU action on inequality, housing, public services, and addressing far-right and geopolitical challenges.
PES Vice-President and Member of the European Parliament Victor Negrescu participated in the Housing for All: Tackling the Short-Term Rental Challenge roundtable, reminding that housing is not a luxury but a fundamental right as short‑term rentals are reducing the availability of affordable homes and driving up rents for local families.
Victor Negrescu, Vice-President of the Party of European Socialists and MEP, said:
“Our message is clear: Europe must put homes before profits. Short‑term rentals should serve the community, not displace it. As Socialists and Democrats, we are ready to deliver on the promise of affordable, fair, and inclusive housing for all. With the release of the Housing Plan by Commissioner Dan Jørgensen a few weeks ago, we are now taking bold action to end speculation and ensure housing is treated as a human need, not a commodity, and we will make sure the next MFF reflects this crucial priority for European citizens.”
As Socialists and Democrats, we’ve long said that housing must be a priority, and we have been putting it at the centre of the European agenda for a long time. It was already a key element of our campaign for the European elections in 2019 with Frans Timmermans, and with Nicolas Schmit in the 2024 as our spitzenkandidats. In the Commission, they brought the Renovation Wave, they brought the Affordable Housing Initiative.
We campaigned for it, and we set it as a key priority in our manifesto, where we called for a European Plan for Affordable Housing. We welcomed this is as part of the EC’s Political Guidelines and with the first-ever Housing Commissioner, Dan Jørgensen. We also welcomed the creation of a special Parliament committee on the housing crisis.
The event was attended by Iratxe García Pérez, First Vice-President of the PES and President of the Socialists & Democrats Group at the European Parliament, and Yonnec Polet, Deputy Secretary General of the PES.
