The colloquium “Current developments in housing policies and housing markets in Europe: implications for the social housing sector” organised by the CECODHAS European Social Housing Observatory took place in Brussels on September 13th 2006. It set the start for a series of colloquia stretching over an initial three-year period which mark the public launch of the CECODHAS Observatory as a platform for reflection and exchange between academics and practitioners working in the field of social housing in Europe. Each colloquium will focus on a different dimension of the topic: economic, social and urban.

The core aim of the Observatory series of colloquia is to bring practitioners and academics together to reflect on the key challenges for social housing provision in Europe over the coming years. The main objectives will be to:
›  Have an open and in-depth debate on the future of social housing provision in Europe, looking at the different dimensions of the problem (economic, social, urban, etc.)
›  Discuss the place of housing in the European social model: a forward looking discussion on the future role for social housing providers in the European Union in general, and in the EU member states in particular.
›  Discuss the role of social housing in the city of tomorrow / in the EU agenda on sustainable urban development.

For the organisation of this first colloquium the CECODHAS Observatory teamed-up with the EC-funded research project “Origins of Security and Insecurity (OSIS): the interplay of housing systems with jobs, household structures, finance and social security.” The colloquium was supported by the European and Social Commission for Europe (EESC).

This first colloquium addressed the economic dimension of the future of social housing in the EU, and was structured around two main themes, namely: 1) Home-ownership trends and social housing in Europe; and 2) Privatization of social housing in Europe. Both topics were addressed by high-level keynote speakers who have conducted extensive comparative European research in the field. Practitioners drawn from amongst CECODHAS members and academics from a range of countries commented on these presentations and triggered an interesting discussion.

The contributions of all speakers as well as highlights from the debate held at the event will be included in the colloquium proceedings to be published over the coming months by the CECODHAS Observatory.

To download the speakers’ presentations click on the links below. 

Current developments in housing policies and housing markets in Europe: Implications for the social housing sector
Organises: CECODHAS European Social Housing Observatory Date: Wednesday 13th September 2006, 9:30 – 17:30 Place: Room BEL 63, European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), 99 rue Belliard, 1040 Brussels
Programme (including PowerPoint Presentations)
09:30		Coffee and registration
09:50		Welcome Angelo Grasso, Member of EESC Paul Louis Marty, President of CECODHAS
10:00		Introduction: setting the scene Darinka Czischke, Research Director, CECODHAS European Social Housing Observatory  For PowerPoint Presentation click here
10:40		First panel: Home-ownership policies in Europe: where are the limits? Keynote speech Prof. John Doling, University of Birmingham / OSIS research project For PowerPoint Presentation click here
11:30		Coffee
11:50		Responses: Academic discussant: Prof. Jozsef Hegedus, Metropolitan Research Institute, Hungary For PowerPoint Presentation click here
12:10		Practitioner discussant: Mr. Joao Carvalhosa, GEBALIS, Lisbon, Portugal For PowerPoint Presentation click here
12:30		Open discussion
13:15		Lunch
14:15		Second panel: Privatization of social housing in Europe: challenges and possible scenarios. Keynote speech Prof. Christine Whitehead, London School of Economics / Cambridge University For PowerPoint Presentation click here
15:15		Tea
15:40		Responses: Academic discussant: Dr. Marija Elsinga, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands For PowerPoint Presentation click here
16:00		Practitioner discussant: Mr. Michael Sachs, Board Member, SAGA, Germany For PowerPoint Presentation click here
16:20		Open discussion
17:00		Conclusions Dr. Michelle Norris, University of Dublin For PowerPoint Presentation click here
17:30		Closure