From 20-23 July, a delegation from the Special Committee on the Housing Crisis in the EU was in Riga and Helsinki to examine housing challenges and innovative solutions in the two countries.

The three and a half day fact-finding mission focused on affordable housing policies, approaches to construction and renovation, the balance between property owner and tenants' rights, and data- and evidence-based policymaking.

After the visit, head of the delegation Inese Vaidere (EPP, LV), said: “Over the last few days, we have seen first-hand how municipalities and national authorities manage publicly owned land and the policies they develop to respond to the current housing needs. We have learned more about the role that investment, national promotional banks and the combination of EU and national funding can play in supporting concrete solutions for affordable and social housing. We have visited newly constructed social and affordable housing projects.

"Both Finland and Latvia have shown us their best practices. Finland is widely recognised as a leading example of a member state that has reduced homelessness through national policy choices, offering a useful case study for other EU countries within the EU's subsidiarity framework.

"Riga clearly demonstrates the key role that cities play in delivering housing solutions tailored to local needs, such as ambitious investment plans, including EU-funded construction of new affordable flats and the large-scale renovation of municipal housing stock. At the same time, a balanced housing policy at national level is essential to support development across regions.

"Our task now is to translate these experiences and lessons into our daily work. This fact-finding mission has provided valuable insights that can also be shared with other member states facing similar housing challenges. While housing policy remains primarily a national and local competence, I am convinced that by working closely with member states and municipalities as we have done over the last couple of days, we can contribute to finding solutions to make housing more affordable and accessible. At the same time, we need to explore how subsidised housing policies can be complemented with instruments that foster economic development.”