Euro Visits Connections Organisation
Has been set up to enable tenants, officers of Registered Social Landlords, Community groups and individuals to obtain information about social housing and environmental issues in Britain and Europe.
It is there to supplement good practice and to help cut costs of visits as well as aiding the interaction between members of groups and offers a consultancy service, seminars, presentations and regular newsletters to organisations and individuals that pay an annual registration fee.
For quite some time The United Kingdom has been a member of the EC, and signed up to the Maastricht Treaty, the Treaty of Rome and the Single European Act and although housing is not mentioned in these and are therefore not within the competence of the European Union. housing is affected by several areas of European Legislation and by funding programmes, therefore Europe already affects social housing.
Euro Visits Connection Organisation recognises the need as does the Housing Act of the involvement of tenants in housing matters and issues, it further recognises the need for different approaches in making social housing affordable and the need for the environment both social and economic to be included and therefore it collates information from lots of other sources to pass to people who have registered. For example:- the directives implementing the Single Market programme and initiatives to encourage social integration both have some impact on the provision and management of housing. One may say "we are not in the single market yet" but for how long?
Why wait to learn when you can be proactive and learn about comparative housing methods, best value and good practice that might benefit your community now
CONCEPT
Euro Visits Connection Organisation is set up to divest information such as this brief list of EU institutions already in being:-
The Council making Body
Made up of one member from each member state, that being the highest decision Ministers
The European Directorates
The EU's civil service currently 17 Commissioners and 23 Commission General dealing with specific policy issues
The European Parliament
Directly elected and largely consultative body with the power to amend or reject legislation
Or to give information about legislation
e.g. Numerous Statutes relating to competition, health and safety, consumer protection employment etc have some impact on housing
Article 9 of EEC regulations 1612/68 on the free movement of workers within the Community states " that a national of one member state who is employed in the territory of another member state shall enjoy all rights and benefits accorded to national workers in matters of housing, including ownership of the housing he needs.
Such a worker may, with the same rights as nationals put his name down on the housing lists in the regions in the which he is employed(where such lists exist) and enjoy the resultant rights and benefits.
But this does not give any insight into the housing in other countries!
Euro Visits Connection Organisation is here to help facilitate this by organising visits but does not stop there, it can organise twinning between estates in Europe and Britain so that barriers are broken down and good practice exchanged.
Tenants and Communities in Britain are being recognised by the Government as being at the fore front in housing matters, some European countries such as Denmark have had tenants in charge of housing for over 25 years. Can we learn from them?
Euro Visits Connection Organisation is set up to help
Comparative Housing in Europe
Housing policy in a European Perspective .6 McCrone & M Stephens based a comparison of Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden: It found
Tenure patterns do not relate to economic conditions and are clearly the product of past and present housing policies. Tenure neutrality has been an explicit goal in several countries.
The private rented sector in Britain is by far the smallest, and is the only on which is not subsidised.
Apart from Britain and Spain the predominant form of mortgage is on long term fixed rates. Transaction costs of house purchase are lower in Britain than elsewhere.
Social landlords elsewhere are predominantly a variant on housing associations, although several countries have municipal housing companies.
Is the UK different? Past research has shown that the UK's tenure is distinct, there is a different pattern of increases in the percentage of owner occupiers, households become owner occupiers at an earlier age and the UK has a small private rented sector. In addition the UK has a relatively large social rented sector.
Non profit housing in Denmark originated in the 1880 and has progressed until now to the extent that:-
20% of all dwellings are non profit housing companies
60% are owner occupied
20% are rented by private owners or owned by housing co- operatives
The Concept is based on three main principles;
· good housing for all social groups, especially for the most disadvantaged ones;
· reasonable financial terms for entering a lease and monthly expenses and
· internal autonomy, ensuring the tenants various kinds of authority in housing administration.
Environmental issues
Britain lags behind Europe in re cycling goods and has become a nation of throw aways.
Do you remember the glass returnable bottles that could be washed recycled and reused or are you content with the plastic bottle that is non biodegradable, there is money to be made from waste and it can protect natural resources for our children and our children's children but do we care enough.
How many tons of newspaper, writing paper, letters and envelopes do people and organisations use within a year or a lifetime and at what cost to the environment.
Jobs and the economy can be protected and created with thought about recycling Britain recycles on average about 10% of its waste products.
Denmark, and Sweden encourage all communities to recycle by separating different products and invests the profits back into the community. We can learn to do the same!
Euro Visits Connection Organisation can help by gaining information and passing it on to you.
REGISTRATION
This is simple.
Fill in the registration form, pay the fee and receive information on visits, twinning, newsletter, issues etc.