CECODHAS European Liaison Committee for social housing August 2008

1. CECODHASEuropean Liaison Committee for social housingAugust 2008 Budapest, October 2008 THE EU AND SOCIAL HOUSING IN EASTERN EUROPE: THE EXPERIENCE OF CECODHAS

2. Index • CECODHAS mission • CECODHAS representativeness • CECODHAS structure • EU policies and housing • CECODHAS strategic plan 2007-2012 • Our lobby work • CECODHAS visits to Eastern Europe: "hot" issues • CECODHAS experience on refurbishment of social housing • The SAVE project • Transfer of know-how through CECODHAS • CECODHAS Expertise on Structural Funds: where do we stand? What's next?

3. CECODHAS mission CECODHAS is the European Committee for social housing, a network of national and regional social housing federations gathering public, voluntary and cooperatives housing organisations. CECODHAS members work together: • to reinforce the European Social model and take an active role in the definition of its future • to protect fundamental rights and call for policies to ensure and reinforce social rights • to promote integrated approaches to urban policies and sustainable development • to fight for services of general interest of good quality accessible for all and for legal certainty for the providers A team of 6 based in Brussels

4. CECODHAS representativeness • 45 members in 18 Member States + 2 associate members • Over 33 000 local housing providers • Managing altogether over 22 million dwellings • Diverse sector with wide variations between systems and providers throughout the EU • Main actors: Municipal Housing Companies,Voluntary Housing associations and Housing Cooperatives • Common denominator: non-for-profit

5. CECODHAS structure Sustainable Urban Development WG Luciano Caffini Social affairs WG Luc Laurent Internal market WG Tomas/Rudy Eastern Europe sub-WG Axel Viehweger Energy sub- WG Paul-louis Marty Ageing sub- WG Muriel Boulmier Energy Project Marco Corradi Observatory reading committee Luc Laurent EC GA Management board

6. Links between European policies and housing • Charter of fundamental Rights • Social cohésion • Strategy of social inclusion • Sustainable urban development • Energy performance • Immigration • Consumers and Mortgage • Standardisation • Employment • Health • Anti-discrimination Community Law European policies Instruments Objectives Players European Funding Community Law • Concessions of services • Exclusive rights • Public procurement • Transparency directive • European Statutes • PPP • State Aids • Services on general interest • Transparency directive • VAT • Court of Justice • Standardisation • Construction products

7. CECODHAS STRATEGIC PLAN 2007-2012 ACCESS TO HOUSING FOR ALL AND QUALITY NEIGHBOURHOODS: EU SHOULD SUPPORT US IN REACHING THIS GOAL Common values, Missions and Definitions (Bordeaux) Tenants and residents are at the core of our actions Promote access to decent housing for all OBJECTIVES EU DRIVERS EP elections EP housing Charter SH as social SGEI CECODHAS Vision statement AccesstoHousing for All Providing housing When market does not answer the needs > a positive legal framework for our activitiesto adapt EU law to our needs foster the debate on the right to housing Right to housing/mobility Social SGEI’s strategy 2007 State Aid to SH reform 2009 VAT reform 2010 PPP… > > Increase partnership with users organisations debate on modernisation of our sector (sale of stock) New playing fields New social housing policies New needs: Responses from non-for profit, public and cooperatives housing enterprises Health and social services Young workers, Elderly housing/competitiveness Social credit, financialservices Corporate social responsibility Common strategic plan2007-2012 (four priorities) > > Urban Regeneration; Spatial planning social inclusion Tenants empowerment Social mix–mixownership Environment and health educationquality design Sustainable Environment and Community Development > CECODHAS local habitat welfare Environmental impact of housing Social dimension of sustainability Promote «affordable quality» > > > Structural Funds 2007-2013 Energy efficiency Renewal energy Affordability and financing Capitalisation Tenants involvement > Affordable Energy CECODHAS White Book on Affordable Energy/fuel poverty Tenants Campaign Energy efficiency alliance Energy experts network > > >

8. Lobbying EU institutions: how does it work ? EU institutions Member States CECODHAS members Our inhabitants

9. CECODHAS visits to Eastern Europe • In 2007-2006, CECODHAS organised technical visits to EU-12 countries (Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Estonia), meeting CECODHAS members and Ministers representatives • Aims: • Better understand needs and constraints in terms of housing • Inform on our expertise on Structural Funds and implementation of Cohesion POlicy • Foster the development of social housing sector • Two main issues emerged: • Urgent need for energetic refurbishment of (social) housing stock • Problematic use of structural Funds

10. CECODHAS experience on refurbishment CECODHAS addresses lack of trained workforce in the refurbishment and renewable energy sector through: • Series of conferences (Thessaloniki, Ancona…) • Energy experts network • NEW: POWER HOUSE project! Building on the knowledge gathered by over 30 SAVE projects, Power House – the Big Green Energy and Housing Exchange, will give access to the tools and best practices developed by those projects

11. SAVE projects Partnerships through SAVE projects – A to Z on energy management • Education, training and local forums for social housing stakeholder (NIRSEPES, EI-Education, ROSH) • Awareness raising mainly towards tenants (ISEES, SHARE, Save@Work4Homes) • Improvement of asset management tools (Epi-SoHo, RESHAPE, ESAM, Factor 4) • Retrofitting solutions (E-Retrofit- KIT, TREES, AVASH, SurRE-FIT, SQUARE) • Legal and Institutional Changes (TACKOBST, EPEE) • Tailored financing schemes (InoFin, ECOLISH, FinSH)

12. Examples of SAVE projects ESAM: Energy Strategic Asset Management in Social Housing Operators Objectives: Development of methods for the definition and implementation of long-term energy retroffiting strategies for SHOs Development of information systems supporting the methods 14 partners in 6 countries:Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, Estonia, Austria, France EI-Education: Energy Intellingent Education for Retrofitting of Social Houses Objectives: Development of EI-Education programme for social housing companies and guidebook for social housing companies Awareness raising seminar – for information on and preparation of the execution of the EI-Educaiton programme under the auspices of CECODHAS and in cooperation with ECTP, the European Construction techology Platform Executing the EI-Education programme by organizing national training courses for social housing companies in 6-10 EU countries Participating countries: AT, BG, DK, NL, SI, coordinetd by the Aarhus School of Architecture (DK)

13. CECODHAS and the transfer of know-how • CECODHAS ROLE IS TO CAPITALISE ON THE OUTPUTS OF THESE SAVE PROJECTS SO THAT THEY ARE RELEVANT AND ACCESSIBLE FOR A MAXIMUM NUMBER OF OUR 39, 000 AFFILIATES • By linking up professionals and fostering exchange through the internet, actions at the local level and study visits • By creating national platforms which will be in charge of detecting the specific needs of providers in each countries and divulgate best practices and tools customised to these needs • 3 year initiative involving 13 partners in 8 countries (Sweden, Italy, UK, Spain, France, Estonia, Bulgaria) + CECODHAS will also work in partnership with UNECE Environment, Housing and Land Management division with targetted knowledge transfer to assist New Member States and the broader European region in improving the quality and energy performance of their housing stock

14. CECODHAS Expertise on Structural Funds New programming period 2007-2013: new opportunities to obtain financial support for integrated urban renewal and housing regeneration EU 12 can benefit from the eligibility of housing expenditure, i.e.: • Housing as element of integrated urban development (indirectly) • Renovation of the common parts of multi-family buldings (directly) • Delivery of modern social housing of good quality through renovation and change of use of existing buildings owned by public authorities and non-profit operators In areas with particularly serious economic/social/environmental problems • Measures aiming at increasing technical and institutional capacities

15. Guides on Structural funds & Social Housing • 2007: « Social Housing & Structural Funds 2007-2013: Guide to housing projects within the Cohesion Policy of the European Union  • 2008: Guide on Social Housing and Structural Funds in the EU 12

16. Where do we stand? Screening of OPERATIONAL PROGRAMMES ERDF: the place of housing • Out of the 12 “new” Member States, 6 have no specific objectives or measures regarding housing issues • all those countries have at least a priority axis in their OP on either urban development or energy efficiency or both. • Among those who have measures on housing, only 3 Member States target housing in their national operational programmes. • Measures related to housing are either foreseen within the framework of urban development and regeneration of urban areas (the majority) or the promotion of energy efficiency.

17. What’s next • CECODHAS’ position is that “new” Member States should do more in terms of housing. We think it is important that Funds be more used for energy-efficient refurbishment of the housing sector- renovation of high-rise residential buildings and social housing with energy saving measures and systematic integration of renewable energy technology. • We think it is also crucial that housing is identified as a core element of urban regeneration and sustainable urban development plans in the Operational Programme. EU-12 can’t afford to avoid dealing with housing issues when they aim at increasing the quality of life in their neighbourhoods. • Too often housing is not mentioned because of either a lack of expertise of local authorities and potential project managers in this field or a difficulty to find that meet the criteria of geographical eligibility. That’s why we asked first for a use of technical assistance and capacity-building mechanisms (through ESF) to make sure that the necessary housing projects will emerge and second for systematic integration of housing in all urban regeneration and sustainable urban development measures within the OPs. • It is important to act now, to enhance those capacities : raising awareness, transfer of know-how, if necessary changes in the priorities of the Ops. CECODHAS is already committed to make this happen.

18. Thank you for your attention! Contact: alice.pittini@cecodhas.org Website: http://www.cecodhas.org