Catalonia’s housing cooperative calls for European recognition

Sostre Cívic, the leading cooperative for use-transfer housing in Catalonia, has submitted proposals to Spain’s National Housing Plan 2026–2030 and to the European Public Consultation on Affordable Housing. Its objective is to ensure that the cooperative use-transfer model is recognized and financed as a structural tool for expanding affordable and social housing across Spain and the wider European context.

The National Plan, presented by the Spanish Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda, is the first developed under Spain’s new Housing Law and allocates €7 billion—three times more than previous plans. Within this new framework, Sostre Cívic calls for housing cooperatives to be formally recognized as social housing providers with a defined role inside national public policy.

“The new National Plan must prioritize affordable and social housing promoted and managed by non-profit entities, recognizing the cooperative housing model under the use-transfer scheme,” said David Guàrdia, co-director of Sostre Cívic. “Although significant progress has been made in Catalonia, national recognition is essential for the model to consolidate across the country.”

Among its key proposals for the Spanish plan, Sostre Cívic recommends:

• Reserving 5% of the national housing budget for cooperative housing projects.
• Limiting subsidies to non-profit entities and excluding speculative private models such as commercial “coliving” or “cohousing.”
• Including the use-transfer model in all affordable housing programmes on both public and private land.

In parallel, the cooperative has contributed to the European Commission’s Public Consultation on the Future Affordable Housing Plan through its involvement in Housing Europe, the European federation of public, cooperative and social housing providers. The EU initiative aims to coordinate policies and mobilize investment to secure access to housing across the continent.

Sostre Cívic’s proposals submitted in Brussels include:

• Dedicated European and national funding lines for cooperatives and social entities.
• Allocation of public land for community-managed housing projects.
• Reform of State aid rules to include non-profit initiatives.
• Support for sustainable and innovative construction, such as timber building, renewable energy, and community energy systems.
• Measures to curb speculation and the financialization of housing.

European financing is already enabling a significant scale-up of the model in Catalonia. A €31 million loan from the Council of Europe Development Bank—the largest ever granted by a European institution to a cooperative—is currently supporting the development of around 400 homes across more than 12 projects.

Through these initiatives, Sostre Cívic strengthens its commitment to influencing state and EU housing policies, consolidating the use-transfer model as a viable, scalable and transformative alternative to renting and owning.

Based in Catalonia, Sostre Cívic is a cooperative that promotes an alternative, fairer and more accessible model of housing access. It is the largest of its kind in the region, with more than 2,100 members and 25 projects, 14 of which are already inhabited.