This year's Summit of Young Elected Local and Regional Leaders (YELL) produced fruitful exchanges on innovative local solutions to youth housing. Our young elected leaders shared their best practices for a diverse set of challenges that Europe's youth face in relation to housing.
Chaired by Clare Colleran Molloy, Member of the European Committee of the Regions, who guided the meeting's direction and content. Member of the European Parliament, Vlad Voiculescu, delivered a speech on reclaiming the future for Europe's youth and how housing plays a direct role in this.
A key point was made: one of the four freedoms of the European Union is the freedom of movement, and without an adequate housing supply, this freedom becomes unattainable. Buying or renting should be achievable for young Europeans, and the housing supply should satisfy that.
Hearing from the young elected representatives, whose roots are from across Europe, the housing emergency is widespread and in need of smart, innovative solutions. Each participant showed a real desire for change at the local level and a passion for forward-looking solutions. The question of student-specific housing was raised, where more affordable student accommodation was labelled a priority - with subsidised rents, grants and other solutions discussed.
Hearing about best practices for housing initiatives from young local leaders in Romania to Ireland, the Netherlands to Croatia, and across Europe gave excellent, rounded insights. The quality of housing was emphasised as a key point, as MEP Vlad Voiculescu linked housing with health, and how the quality of a house can play a big role in one's health.
There are European-wide solutions in regards to financial instruments and grants, but the Member State specificity requires local, regional and national plans. Sharing best practices hands our young local leaders the tools to push for change and initiate new ideas at the local government level.
This event was organised with Renew Europe in the European Committee of the Regions, in collaboration with the Young Democrats for Europe (YDE).
LYMEC at the Young Elected Local & Regional Leaders Summit