Shortage of nearly 50,000 housing units throughout Switzerland within the next three years.

Economy Minister Guy Parmelin (SVP) has convened a round table to discuss the housing shortage. Representatives of cities, cantons, construction and housing associations have been invited to participate in this meeting. The reason for this initiative is the forecast of a shortage of almost 50,000 housing units throughout Switzerland within the next three years. The objective is therefore to find global solutions to face this urgent problem.

However, things are not progressing very quickly. The Federal Housing Office says that the Confederation believes it is important to hear all the demands and to gain a "common understanding of the challenge" before taking action. Despite this, Green-Liberal National Councillor Beat Flach is pleased that all parties can speak out.

The vice-president of the homeowners' association Casafair, on the other hand, has limited expectations, pointing out that this is only a state of play on the subject. The Union of Swiss Cities (UVS) also believes that this meeting is necessary, especially for cities where the housing shortage is most severe, but it does not yet have clear demands to present.

For its part, the Swiss Contractors' Association does not believe that the state is the solution to the housing shortage. It believes that the promotion of housing construction should be based on market economy criteria, which is one of the four key points of its plan of measures for the meeting with Guy Parmelin. The association is also calling for a reduction in the possibilities of opposition to construction projects at all levels, as well as the respect of the prescribed deadlines for obtaining building permits, in order to accelerate the construction of housing.

Source : Blick