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Article by Giulia Casula – Journalist Fanpage.it

Buying a house in Italy requires huge sacrifices that can translate into over twelve years of salaries . But sometimes even that is not enough, especially in large cities where buying a house has become a mirage for about 10 million families with an income of less than 24 thousand euros.

This is what emerges from the 2025 Economic Observatory on the Construction Industry of Ance, which reported Milan, Rome and Naples as the cities where the right to housing is almost inaccessible . To support a mortgage, one ends up spending half of one's income, which exceeds two thirds for the most fragile families (about 20% of the total).

Even on the rental front , the situation is dramatic. In large cities, rising prices have made renting out of reach for many families, who find themselves having to spend more than half of their savings. With the housing crisis now structural, the right to housing is increasingly at risk and Italy has long been without a housing plan that intervenes to regulate and guarantee adequate funds.

But the emergency concerns all of Europe, where the European Parliament's Special Housing Committee was recently established. The body, led by Democratic Party MEP Irene Tinagli, aims to work to "obtain accessible, dignified and sustainable homes for all" and "listen to citizens' concerns and provide solutions", the socialist clarified.

The first vice-president of the Commission will be the Dutch MEP Dirk Goting of the EPP, while the other deputies will be the Spanish Green Vincent Marza Ibanez, the Irish member of Renew Europe Ciaran Mullooly and the Irish member of the EPP Regina Doherty. “This is a moment in which the Parliament is taking care of some of the basic needs of European citizens. The situation of the housing market has gone a bit out of control in recent years: the data is really worrying,” Tinagli underlined.

“Many Europeans now have to use almost half of their income” for housing “whether it is mortgages or rent. This means impoverishment, it means growing problems for thousands and millions of families in Europe. The phenomenon is different in different countries, but the problem is common. We need to find common answers: this commission is the first step to start understanding and digging deeper into the roots of this dysfunction, into why this happens”, continued the MEP. “What can we do to help millions of families to be able to afford a decent home? They are needs first: we need to think in terms of responding to people's needs, before even thinking in terms of the simple market. It is not just the market: we need to give answers and that is why we are here. We are all committed to working fast and hard: it is a special commission, it will last one year. We will commit to providing a report with ideas, analysis and proposals to give an answer to millions of European citizens”, she added.

The Democrat Nicola Zingaretti also intervened on the point. “In Europe, inequalities are also growing in the housing sector. Buying a house in a large Italian city is now a titanic undertaking: the data tells us that it takes about 12-13 years of salaries, so we are talking about 170 monthly payments. An unsustainable expense for almost 10 million families”, he declared, relaunching the data from Ance. The MEP highlighted the problem linked to the constant increase in rents “with an apartment that in a semi-central area can represent up to 81% of the income received”. For this reason “it is time for a change. To make a house a right and not a privilege”, he declared.

https://www.instagram.com/nicolazingaretti/?utm_source=ig_embed

Pd leader Elly Schlein congratulated Tinagli on his appointment to the Special Commission. “This is important news that demonstrates the commitment of our delegation to the EP and of the entire party on a crucial issue such as the right to housing. This is precisely why we fought to have this special commission established in the European Parliament and to have a specific delegation on Housing in the European Commission,” she said. “For some time now, the Pd has placed Housing at the center of its political proposals, urging the Government and Parliament to consider it a national emergency issue. We are faced with an issue that concerns millions of families and young people, students or workers, who are finding it increasingly difficult to have this fundamental right guaranteed,” she added.

Also present at the constituent meeting held in Brussels was Avs MEP Ilaria Salis, who is very close to the issues of the right to housing and the housing crisis. “As I have always done outside the institutions, I will continue to fight here so that the right to housing is guaranteed to everyone, without exceptions. No more houses without people, no more people without a Home!”, wrote the MEP on X.

https://x.com/SalisIlaria/status/1884919989058097218?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1884919989058097218%7Ctwgr%5E364a56936c3a4a689cf5a995205cabc521765dbe%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fanpage.it%2Fpolitica%2Fto-buy-a-house-in-italy-you-need-12-years-of-salaries-in-the-eu-a-special-housing-commission-is-born%2F

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