Lisbon’s mayor urged on Tuesday that the government’s measures to increase housing supply should not be “forced”, arguing that the state should “lead by example” before demanding it from the private sector.
“I am 52 years old and I cannot remember such a radical proposal from a political point of view. Such a radical invasion of the realm of what is private property and without further ado proclaiming the end of local housing. These impositions and these prohibitions can get us nowhere.”said Carlos Moedas (PSD). The Mayor of Lisbon spoke at the conclusion of the conference “More housing – Protection, regulation or brake”, organized by Jornal Económico and Novo Semanário, with the support of the law firm CMS and the real estate agency Fine & Country.
During the intervention, Carlos Moedas stressed the role of local authorities in housing and regretted again that the municipality had not been consulted before the announcement of the “More housing” program presented by the government on February 16. “The original sin of what you discussed here this morning is that nothing was discussed with the congregations. That is, with those who are close to the people on a daily basis. not consulted by the government. I didn’t even get a call from the government”criticized.
Referring to some of the measures envisaged in the government proposal, such as the forced renting out of empty houses, Carlos Moedas defended that the state should “lead by example” before “demanding anything from the private sector”. “The government is coming to say that we are going to force the private sector to rent their vacant lots, but the municipal authorities and the government itself do not rent out their vacant lots and have them in the city”he wondered, emphasizing that “only after giving an example” will there be “a face to ask for individuals”.
The mayor of Lisbon also called for “partisan political ideology to be left out of the housing discussion” and defended solutions involving public, private and social partners. “We cannot make progress in public policy without having people. To have people, we have to deal with people. The housing problem has to be solved in a diversified way and the private sector has to help”defended.
On February 16, the Prime Minister, António Costa (PS), presented a package of measures, estimated at €900 million, to respond to the housing crisis in Portugal, as part of the Mais Habitação programme, with five lines of action: the supply of housing that used for residential purposes, simplifying permitting procedures, increasing the number of properties on the rental market, combating speculation and protecting families.
The Mais Habitação program was approved by the Council of Ministers and will be publicly discussed for a month. The proposals will return to the Council of Ministers for final approval on March 16, after which some measures still have to be passed by the Assembly of the Republic.
Among the measures announced are changes to the lodging sector, including a ban on new permits and the decision that current permits will be “re-assessed in 2030” and periodically every five years thereafter.
Source: DN
