Michailidou: We are utilising every European tool to increase the supply of affordable housing

The use of European financial tools to strengthen housing policy was at the heart of the meeting between the Minister of Social Cohesion and Family Domna Michailidou and the Director of the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the European Commission (DG Employment), Jeroen Jutte.

The meeting took place in view of the mid-term review of the NSRF 2021–2027 Programmes and the annual evaluation of the European Commission.

The minister presented in detail the main directions of the national housing policy, emphasising the increase in the housing stock through the Social Compensation, as well as the utilisation of inactive camps through the Social Climate Fund.

"Our goal is for as many citizens as possible to own a home," Michailidou said, emphasising that the design of housing policy must reflect the real social and economic conditions of the country.

She noted that access to affordable housing does not only concern lower-income households, but also thousands of families who, despite working and having a stable income, now find it difficult to acquire or maintaining a home.

In this context, the Greek side raised the importance of broadening income criteria, so that housing programmes cover a larger portion of society and respond more fairly to the needs of the time.

The discussion was also linked to the European level of policy-making, as next week Greece expects the report of the European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, on the European Affordable Housing Plan, which will form the basis for the first European planning in the field of affordable housing.