Tag: housing

  • Housing as a fundamental human right

    Housing as a fundamental human right

    Housing costs are the biggest expense in households in the European Union, and the rising house prices and rents, the high construction costs and the rising mortgage interest rates are just some of the effects. Where does Romania stand in this context? ‘Housing must be treated as a fundamental right, so that all Europeans, including young people and vulnerable groups, should enjoy decent and sustainable living conditions.’ This was the sentiment expressed in one voice during the first housing forum at the end of last year in Brussels.

     

    A 2023 report showed that nearly half of the rent-paying Europeans felt they were living at the risk of having to leave their home in the next three months because they could no longer afford it. Meanwhile, homelessness is becoming one of the continent’s biggest problems, with nearly a million people without a home.

     

    According to the General Secretary of Housing of Europe, Sorcha Edwards, the current housing crisis has many facets. In addition to overcrowded areas and housing, which contrasts with under-occupied regions, we also face energy poverty, meaning houses that have not been modernized and insulated and thus push people into poor conditions, that is too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. Another problem is housing for the elderly or disabled, which is not adapted to their needs.

     

    Sorcha Edwards: “We see also people, victims of domestic violence for instance, who do not find alternative accommodation. And of course, we see the most visible face of the housing crisis is homelessness. But the problem and why we have these problems in some areas is mixed. So, it’s sometimes a lack of capacity within local authorities, within governments, because this is a very complex issue.  And very often we have lost the knowledge within our governments to manage this complex sector.  And we have hoped that in many cases that the market would take care of it. And of course, when we leave a sector like this only to the market, we see opportunism, we see extraction of profit.”

     

    Although, according to Eurostat statistics from 2023, Romania is the country with the highest percentage of homeowners (93% of Romanians own the house they live in and only 7% are rent payers), Romanians’ houses were among the most crowded (40%), surpassed only by those in Latvia, with 40.9%. In addition, houses in Romania and Slovakia have the lowest number of rooms per person: 1.1 rooms against a European average of 1.6. At the opposite pole are Malta and Luxembourg, with 2.3 and 2.2 rooms per person respectively. In 2023, only 1.5% of the entire EU population lived in households without an indoor toilet, shower or bathtub, but, by far, the highest percentage of these were in Romania, over 20% (followed by Bulgaria and Latvia, with 7% each).

     

    Asked what solutions Romania could adopt, inspired by the successful projects of other member states, Sorcha Edwards answers: “Obviously in housing a copy-paste is not really possible. You have to look at your local needs, local scenarios, trends, average income of the population, what are the forecasts in terms of demographic forecasts, in terms of employment opportunities, are there areas where you predict more employment opportunities. So, you have a range of different considerations. But one that we have seen as a very successful approach is to increase the supply of limited profit, public or social housing, depending on which of those models fits more within the local culture and the local needs. So, what that can do is that it can ensure that you avoid housing exclusion, you help to avoid housing overburden rate, and you have to help to provide a choice for people.”

     

    Although the landscape differs from one member state to another, even from one area to another, the main difficulties in reducing the housing crisis at the European level do not differ much from those faced by Romania. Sorcha Edwards is back at the microphone: “So, what we are seeing now is a huge hike in the price of construction materials. This is obviously slowing down the delivery. We are also seeing difficulty in accessing the right amount of land. And if we think about also the potential for conversion of existing buildings, which obviously is also a fantastic option in terms of reducing CO2-embedded carbon in new housing deliveries, we are also seeing delays in the permits because of complexity around ownership of existing buildings. So, these are all issues that can be overcome if we have a clear vision and a clear political will and targets to reach.”

     

    Although Romania has to recover in different aspects compared to the other member states, and although rent and housing prices have also increased in this country, the increases were less dramatic than in most states. If from 2010 to the last quarter of 2024, prices increased by 230% in Hungary and Estonia, by 181% in Lithuania, by 113% in Portugal and by 110% in Bulgaria, in Romania, the increase was below 30%.

     

    Also, according to the expert Sorcha Edwards, the housing sector plays to the tune of the investors, and if their interest does not go beyond maximizing profit in the shortest possible time, access to homes for all European citizens will continue to remain a problem. (LS)

  • July 31, 2022 UPDATE

    July 31, 2022 UPDATE

    TAXATION On 1 August, some of the
    fiscal measures introduced recently by the coalition government made up of the
    National Liberal Party, Social Democratic Party and the Democratic Union of
    Ethnic Hungarians in Romania take effect. On Monday the tobacco excise duty is
    to increase, as is the tax on gambling gains. Changes are also operated as
    regards salaries in the construction industry, agriculture and foodstuffs, where
    the ceiling for certain tax rebates will be lowered. Further changes to the
    Fiscal Code will take effect early next year. For example, in the hospitality
    industry VAT will be raised from 5 to 9%, while the VAT for non-alcoholic beer
    and for sugary drinks will be raised to 19%. Sales of houses bigger than 120
    sqm or for prices of over EUR 120,000 will also carry increased VAT. According
    to government estimates, these changes will bring the state budget an
    additional EUR 243 million this year and some EUR 2.1 billion in 2023.



    FESTIVAL Transylvania is a model of inter-ethnic harmony and
    tolerance at European level, the PM Nicolae Ciuca said at the Haferland Week
    Festival, devoted to the Saxon culture. The PM highlighted that Romania is a
    democratic state, where diverging or even opposing views and ideas may be
    expressed, but that these views must not become radical and any expression of
    authoritarianism, extreme nationalism or populism must be prevented. Also
    attending the Haferland Week, president Klaus Iohannis said it was very
    important for each of us to be aware of the threat entailed by climate change,
    and added that we have a responsibility towards protecting our planet and
    resources. In this context, he emphasised, education remains the key to a
    greener future and a sustainable society.


    DIPLOMACY In the context of Romania’s strong show of solidarity
    during this war in Ukraine, with our management of the over 1.75 million
    Ukrainian refugees who have entered Romania since the start of the war, a
    situation which we have managed successfully, I believe we can hope for
    consistent and firm support from Germany for Romania’s Schengen accession as
    soon as possible, the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu said. This is
    important among other things for the inter-human relations between Romania and
    Germany, between the ethnic Germans in Romania and Germany and conversely,
    between the Romanian community in Germany and Romania, Aurescu emphasised upon
    opening on Sunday the Romanian-German Bilateral Cooperation Forum, on the
    sidelines of the 10th edition of the ‘Haferland Week’ cultural
    festival in Romania.


    CENSUS Sunday was the
    last day of the official population and housing census in Romania, after
    several extensions. According to the National statistics Institute, over 90% of
    the process had been completed by early this week. The purpose of the census was
    to establish the number of people living on Romanian territory, as well as the
    living standards in each locality. Based on the data collected, the
    authorities will create public policies and earmark funding for each town or
    village. At EU level, the number of people
    living in Romania is a criterion in the distribution of EU funds. The census was
    compulsory for all Romanian citizens.


    COVID More than 4,000 new
    SARS-CoV-2 infections out of over 13,000 tests, as well as 13 COVID-related
    deaths were reported on Sunday in Romania, the authorities announced. The
    number of COVID patients in hospitals is over 3,900, of whom more than 260 are
    in intensive care. The authorities estimate that next week Romania could see
    10,000 new cases per day. Although spreading very quickly, this variant of the virus causes less
    severe forms of the disease.


    UKRAINE The Romanian foreign ministry condemns the shelling of the
    Olenivka prison and the killing of Ukrainian POWs, reads a message issued on
    Sunday. These heinous crimes committed by Russia call for international
    investigation and sanctioning. Condolences to the families and full support for
    Ukraine, the foreign ministry’s Twitter post also reads. A prison in Olenivka was
    attacked on Friday, with most of the 193 Ukrainian prisoners of war there
    killed or wounded, according to the Russian defence ministry, which Saturday
    released the names of 50 dead and 73 wounded. Russia claims the strike came
    from a HIMARS system provided by the US to Ukraine, as Kyiv seeks to recover
    the territories controlled by pro-Russian separatists in the east of the
    country. Ukraine replied it would never attack civilian sites, especially one
    housing its own people, and accused Russia of organising the attack in
    retaliation against the Ukrainian nationalists among the prisoners brought
    there from Mariupol several weeks ago. (AMP)

  • January 5, 2021

    January 5, 2021

    COVID-19 In Romania a total of nearly 650,000 coronavirus
    infections have been confirmed so far, according to the Strategic Communication
    Group, with 4,729 new cases out of 31,022 tests reported in the past 24 hours.
    121 people died since Monday’s report, taking the total death toll to 16,178. The vaccination of healthcare staff
    continues, with more than 25,500 immunised so far, using the Pfizer BioNTech
    vaccine, according to the National Committee coordinating the vaccination
    programme. The authorities say the vaccination of healthcare staff is an act of
    responsibility ensuring the protection of medical personnel and preserving the
    country’s capability to provide safe healthcare services to all patients.



    SCHOOLS The Education Ministry announced this week consultations with students, teachers and parents to analyse the option of reopening schools. Minister Sorin Cîmpeanu is considering a return to face-to-face classes as of the start of the second semester of the school year, provided the COVID-19 situation allows it. The National Students Council warned that online classes are inefficient and demanding. Many students lack access to education because they do not have tablets or an internet connection. Since March 2020, with a brief intermission, Romanian students have attended online classes exclusively.



    CORRUPTION The National Anti-Corruption Directorate requested the General Prosecutors Office to notify president Klaus Iohannis of the commencement of prosecution against former Environment Minister Costel Alexe. Prosecutors say that while a member of the Ludovic Orban Cabinet, Alexe allegedly demanded sheet metal products worth over 20,000 euros from the manager of a steel works, in exchange for awarding greenhouse gas certificates to the company. Alexe denied the accusations and claimed he had confidence in the judiciary. The Social Democrats in Opposition asked Alexe to step down as chairman of the Iasi County Council, a post he has held since this autumns local elections.



    HOUSING In the 27 EU member countries, 17.2% of the people were living in overcrowded households last year, i.e. the number of rooms was insufficient for the number of family members, according to data released today by the European Statistics Office (Eurostat). First by overcrowding rate was Romania, with nearly half of its population (45.8%). Other EU member states with similar problems in 2019 included Latvia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Poland. The countries with the lowest overcrowding rates were Cyprus, Ireland, Malta and the Netherlands.



    SPORTS Gymnast Larisa Iordache, twice European champion last year in Turkey, ranks first in a standing of Romanias best athletes of the year 2020, put together by the Romanian Council of Sport Media Association. Iordache won 4 medals at the European Championships in Turkey, gold in beam and floor, and silver in vault and in the team event. Second comes tennis player Simona Halep and wrestler Alin Alexuc-Ciurariu. Halep, number 2 in the world, won 3 tournaments last year, in Dubai, Prague and Rome, while Alexuc won the gold at the European Chapionships in Rome. Ranking 9th in the standings is the incumbent Youth and Sports Minister, Carol-Eduard Novak, who won 3 medals at last years World Para Athletics Championship.



    PANDEMIC Several countries introduce new restrictions to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Italy introduces a 2-day lockdown today, and is to return on January 7 to the measures prior to the winter holidays, including a night curfew and mandatory 2-week quarantine for all citizens who enter the country. In Britain, PM Boris Johnson announced a new lockdown, comparable to the one in spring 2020, as the healthcare system is overwhelmed. Similar measures came into force at midnight in Scotland, whereas the local governments in Wales and Northern Ireland announced schools would stay closed. Austria, in turn, is extending the lockdown at least until January 24th, and so is Germany, which according to Deutsche Welle is extending tough containment measures for another 3 weeks. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Volunteering and social housing

    Volunteering and social housing

    The most disadvantaged categories are in dire need of a house, as their children don’t have their own room or a proper table where to do their homework.



    There are families that live crammed in dormitories for singles or in houses deprived of electricity and heating. Since the authorities are frequently unable to cope with these situations, they turn to community for help. People mobilize to help each other out.



    An example in this regard is “Habitat for Humanity — Romania”, an organization based on volunteering. With a 20-year activity, the organization has built houses for families with small incomes or has refurbished the old buildings of poor families.



    So far their programs have benefited 64 thousand people as they have built 600 new houses and renovated more than 2,000 buildings spread across Romania in Transylvania, near Cluj and Mediaş, in Moldavia, in Bacău, Comăneşti and Botoşani as well as in Constanţa county, in the southeast. Loredana Modoran is a coordinator with “Habitat for Humanity” and she gives us more details.



    Loredana Modoran: “People need to comply with 3 criteria. The first one is the need for a home. The second criterion requires the beneficiary to have a source of income so as to be able to return us the price of the construction materials that we purchased for their houses. Since our programs are meant to make the beneficiaries responsible, we are looking for people who, despite working all day long, obtain too small an income to afford taking out a loan from a bank. These people are trapped in a poverty cycle. We mobilize certain resources, which help them assume responsibility for their lives. The 3rd criterion requires the beneficiaries to work alongside us and our volunteers on building or renovating their houses. Before being selected, the candidates have to volunteer for a number of hours, actually they need to volunteer for about 1 thousand hours or more. We are not giving alms to people, we simply give them an impetus to carry on with their lives afterwards.”



    Volunteers work side by side with beneficiaries. They come from all over the world, belong to all social classes and have the most diverse jobs. Veronica Soare is one such volunteer, a radio journalist involved in several charity projects which she describes on her site called “minuni.ro”. She started working on the building sites several years ago and will next share with us her experience.



    Veronica Soare: “Working on a building site for several hours gives you a unique feeling. You feel something special when looking at the wall you have just erected, when looking at the people you have just met on the site and you realize that we, the common people, can make a change. It is a great feeling to go to the building site on a Monday morning, where there is nothing but the groundwork or foundation of the house, and then to see with your own eyes how a house emerges with the help of your hands.”



    The beneficiaries, in turn, become volunteers and supporters of other beneficiaries. The money which they pay by installments, without interest rate, for the materials used to build their houses will go into a fund. Then, the money will be invested in other construction projects. Veronica Soare could experience the joy people feel when helping their fellows.



    Veronica Soare: “This year I have visited one of the families that had a house built last year. And I was impressed by two things: the mother was very happy that she now had a decent place where to raise her children and she expressed her wish to go to work as a volunteer at the building site, to help other people just as other people helped her. I don’t know if these people have ever volunteered before but they have now understood what it means to be helped, and so they want to give a hand in their turn.”



    Bacău county, a region with many disadvantaged areas, has benefited from this system of building houses with the help of volunteers for 12 years. Andrei Chirilă, the coordinator of the Comăneşti branch of “Habitat for Humanity” organization talked about the social problems people are facing in this region.



    Andrei Chirila: “I could say that the existing houses across Romania are rather old, many need repair works as families have no longer invested in refurbishment. There are many young families with children who still live in the same apartment with their parents or other relatives. These people really need to have their own space. Some families have even asked us to help them purchase central heating systems, to replace their old wooden windows with plastic PVC windows and insulate their walls to save money on heating bills.”



    The demand for houses is very high, so new building sites will be set up in Comăneşti and its surroundings where volunteers will work to help their fellows have a decent home.