MIGRANTS: IMPACT ON HOUSING

The number of migrants in Europe is rising due to the refugee waves generated by the most recent armed conflicts in Syria. The access to affordable housing in the European Union was already difficult before the current "refugee crisis" that could not be foreseen. The large number of home seekers increases the pressure on house markets at local and national levels. In fact, the migratory flows will affect housing prices and rents. This situation is not only an emergency of the present but the problem is here to stay. Social housing sector should think about medium and long term solutions, rather than short term possibilities. The transformation of vacant properties into housing could be a good starting point. It is important to ensure affordable and good quality accommodations for all. This also means investing more on social sustainability, building residential mixed neighborhoods that stimulate the integration of migrants and decrease the tensions between the residents. This paper aims to show the European Community discussion about this topic through the issues discussed during “The Communities of our Future”, a Housing Europe Policy Briefing on Housing, Migration and Integration. The conference was held at the European Parliament Committee for Civil Liberties (LIBE) on Wednesday, 13 January 2016.