demands for investment prgrammes and non-profit housing sector
On May 31 the assembly of the German tenant union DMB expressed concerns regarding “the still expanding negative impacts of the financial and Euro crisis and the neoliberal austerity policies on housing conditions in Europe, like housing losses for economic reasons, evictions and permanently increasing housing costs.”
May 31 a huge majority of delegates at the biannual federal assembly („Mietertag“) of the German tenant union “Deutscher Mieterbund” (DMB) voted for two motions expressing a political rejection of the planned free trade agreements TTIP and CETA. The delegates, who represent regional and local associations with a membership basis of 1.27 million households, were especially concerned about possible consequences of the planned investor protection through state independent arbitral tribunals (“investor-state dispute settlement“) on rental laws.
For the development of an Anti-TTIP front in the housing field this clear standpoint of the big German tenant union is a big success. Just in April some groups started to raise the international housing questions as part of the TTIP. See the statement here:
TTIP: a threat to social housing, land rights and democratic cities
German: TTIP: eine Bedrohung für soziales Wohnen, Landrechte und demokratische Städte