​Dan Jørgenson, Commissioner for Energy and Housing, addressed Europe's housing crisis during the 'Debate on Local and Regional authorities tackling the Housing Crisis' at the CoR's 164th Plenary Session.

Problematising the EU's struggle to provide sufficient affordable housing to its residents, Jørgenson affirmed the European Commission's commitment to tackling the housing crisis through dialogue and coordination with regional authorities.

Jørgenson predicted that a centralised policy approach would fail to understand the complexities of the issue, promoting instead 'outreach, engagement and consultation' as crucial to addressing the problem effectively and holistically.

Accordingly, Jørgenson welcomed input from CoR members to develop a more flexible and impactful European Affordable Housing Plan. 

EA Group members Tadeusz Truskolaski and Magdalena Czarzyńska-Jachim weighed in on the debate with practical suggestions on how to generate more affordable housing for young people.

Truskolaski described an initiative within his home city, Białystok, where there exists affordable housing offered exclusively to university graduates which guarantees affordable housing to young residents.

Later, Czarzyńska-Jachim called for stricter regulation of short-term rentals to strike a more equitable balance between short- and long-term lets in central locations, thereby making them more accessible neighbourhoods for young people.

Drawing on her experience as the Mayor of Sopot, Poland, Czarzyńska-Jachim problematised the dominance of long-term rentals in the central locations of touristic cities for restricting young people's housing options and thereby contributing to the housing crisis.

This point welcomed a response from Jørgenson, who affirmed that short-term rental regulation is a complex problem that varies across regions and requires a tailored approach.