UIPI 43rd Congress in Oslo: Great Success!

The UIPI held its 43rd Congress in Oslo, Norway from 26 to 27 June 2015. The objective was to discuss the challenges that young people face when accessing the European housing market and promote exchange of ideas and best practice examples aimed to efficiently address this issue in the current economic context.

The Congress, hosted by Huseiernes Landsforbund (HL), the Norwegian homeowners association, brought together more than 150 representatives from national property owners’ organisations, European and national policy-makers, experts from the financial sector and high-profile researchers.

In the aftermath of the global economic crisis outburst in 2008, the young generation has become considerably vulnerable. During the Congress, we heard about their difficulties to access home ownership, the political and regulatory context favouring or, on the contrary, impeding their inclusion in this market, solutions that can be provided on the private rented sector or through alternative forms of ownership. We also discussed the link between macroeconomic considerations and access to home ownership.

The Norwegian Minister of European Affairs, Vidar Helgesen, who opened the Congress, stressed that, as a result of policy priorities, Norway is a country of homeowners. Getting young people onto the house ladder provides them with the foundation to their adult life he continued.

In the Oslo Declaration adopted in conclusion of the Congress, UIPI committed to continuing to discuss solutions on how to improve young generations’ participation in the housing market, by fostering home ownership and promoting access to affordable housing.

The UIPI President, Stratos Paradias, added:

“Young generations’ access to the housing market is a major issue of the running decade. It needs to be tackled! UIPI has a clear role to play in this debate. We have to promote solutions that stimulate the inclusion of young Europeans in the European housing market. Rather than imposing rent control and high taxation, we believe that we have to correct the damages of the crisis in a way that does not endanger financial as well as macroeconomic stability.”