{
  "id": 1519084,
  "title": "España y Portugal, ante una de las mayores crisis de vivienda de la UE",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/espana-y-portugal-ante-una-de-las-mayores-crisis-de-vivienda-de-la-ue",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-17T16:42:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Expansion ES",
    "slug": "expansion-es",
    "url": "https://www.expansion.com/economia/financial-times/2026/08/17/6a8334e0e5fdea86208b4575.html"
  },
  "original_language": "es",
  "account": "Spain and Portugal face some of the worst housing crises in the EU, as population growth driven by immigration, bureaucracy and high construction costs combine to create a severe shortage of homes. These shortages are fueling social discontent and political tensions across Europe, driving up prices and rents, expelling residents from their neighborhoods and leaving many unable to afford even modest housing. The pressure is especially intense in the major cities of the Iberian Peninsula.\n\nPortugal built 300,000 fewer homes than its population needed between 2021 and 2025, representing 6.6% of the country's total households last year, according to a study by the Spanish bank. In Spain, the deficit over the same period was 750,000 homes, or 3.7% of all households. In contrast, the EU-wide average deficit equals 0.5% of total dwellings, according to the study.\n\nBoth Iberian nations have some of the lowest public housing proportions in the EU. Portugal's central bank governor, Alvaro Santos Pereira, in a written response to FT questions, said the housing affordability problem remains a concern, affecting several regions including Lisbon and Oporto where affordability issues are most acute. He attributed the surge in resident households to the high influx of immigrants, but argued the solution lies in increasing the supply of new homes.\n\nImmigration to Portugal in recent years included both low-income individuals from southern Asia and wealthy individuals who received the \"golden visa\" by purchasing properties, though the rules have since tightened. However, Santos Pereira said the housing situation is improving. The Portuguese bank noted construction of homes kept pace with new household formation in 2025, partly due to a drop in immigration. Yet an accumulated housing deficit persists from previous years.\n\nSpanish Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, in power since 2024, has avoided anti-immigrant rhetoric of far-right populists but has slowed the arrival of new migrants by tightening entry rules and requirements for temporary residence permits. Santos Pereira, appointed central bank governor last year, has sought to shift focus to supply-side measures, arguing the lack of housing supply is the root of the accumulated deficit.\n\nThe construction sector has not yet recovered from the severe consequences of the EU-wide crisis, warns Manuel Maria Goncalves, president of the Portuguese promoters and investors association. Many developers have lost businesses, workers and production capacity, he says. While they are ready to build now, high construction costs and excessive bureaucracy make it hard to generate profits from middle-class housing, pushing many towards high-end segments where costs can still be absorbed.",
  "summary": "Los países vecinos de la península ibérica sufren una enorme escasez de vivienda debido a la inmigración, la burocracia y los elevados costes de construcción. Leer",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}