Speakers at Conference on Housing crisis in Europe

Baiba Miltovica has been appointed in 2020 President of the “Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and Information Society” Section (TEN) of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). At the same time, Ms Miltovica serves as Board Member of the Latvian National Association for Consumer Protection (LPIAA) and actively co-operates with the European Consumer Organization (BEUC) on the European Commission Horizon 2020 and DG Justice and Consumers projects. She is member of the European Consumer Consultative Group (ECCG) of the European Commission, subgroup on Energy and Sub-Group on Artificial Intelligence (AI), connected products and other new challenges in product safety.

In her previous mandate at the EESC, Ms Miltovica held a position as Vice-President of the Diversity Europe Group of the European Economic and Social Committee and was an active member of TEN, appointed Rapporteur of 6 opinions (on energy and climate policy, energy performance of buildings, internal gas market, heating and cooling, etc.) and of the Single Market, Production and Consumption Section (INT) and Economic and Monetary Union and Economic and Social Cohesion Section (ECO) of the EESC.

At the national level Baiba Miltovica continues to fulfil responsibilities in the LPIAA and is Member of the Advisory Board of the Latvian Public Utilities Commission.

Ms Miltovica holds a degree in political science and lectures at Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Faculty of Economics and Social Development.

Oliver Röpke was elected as the president of the EESC in April 2023. Member of EESC since 2009, Mr Röpke was the president of the EESC Workers' Group, a member of the EESC Bureau and rapporteur of many EESC resolutions and opinions on employment and social policy, single market and innovation.

Mr Röpke headed the Brussels office of the Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB) and took on several senior positions including as ÖGB representative to the EU institutions, the Executive Committee of the ETUC, and an advisory member of the ÖGB federal executive board. Mr Röpke has a legal background and holds a law degree from the University of Vienna.

Christophe Collignon est ministre du Logement, des Pouvoirs locaux et de la Ville du Gouvernement Wallon depuis le 2 octobre 2020.

Biographie :

1969 : Naissance à Waremme

Licencié en droit de l’université de Liège

Avocat (barreau de Huy)

2000 : Conseiller provincial

2004 : Député au Parlement wallon (réélu en 2009, 2014 et 2019)

2016 : Bourgmestre de Huy (réélu en 2018)

2019 : Président du Parlement wallon

2020 : Ministre wallon du Logement, des Pouvoirs locaux et de la Ville
Bourgmestre en titre de Huy

Nicolas Schmit took up office as European Commissioner responsible for Jobs and Social Rights in December 2019. Prior to this, and following a long career of public service in his native Luxembourg, he took up duty as Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the EU in 1998 for a six-year term. In 2004, he was appointed Minister Delegate for Foreign Affairs and Immigration.

From 2009 to 2018, he held the position of Minister for Labour and Employment in the Luxembourgish government. He served as a Member of the European Parliament for the social-democratic Lëtzebuerger Sozialistesch Aarbechterpartei following his election in May 2019. Nicolas Schmit holds a Doctorate in International Economic Relations and a Masters in French Literature from the University of Aix-Marseille.

Estrella Durá Ferrandis has been a Member of the European Parliament for the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats since 2019. Previously, she worked as Full Professor in the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Valencia and researcher at the Institute for Research in Social Welfare Policies -Polibienestar- of the University of Valencia.

Professionally, she has devoted herself mainly to applied research for the development of European public policies, especially in the social and health area. In the European Parliament, she is a member of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and substitute member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. She is a member of the MEP Alliance for Mental Health and the Coalition for Mental Health and Wellbeing.

She was the European Parliament’s shadow rapporteur for the S&D Group on the Resolution on adequate minimum income ensuring active inclusion, the report on Access to decent and affordable housing for all and the report on Mental Health in the Digital World of Work. She was the European Parliament’s rapporteur on the European Semester for economic policy coordination: Employment and social priorities for 2023.

András EDELÉNYI, born in 1949, in Budapest.

Graduated as a chemical engineer from the legal predecessor of the Pannon University, in Veszprém. Technical doctor thesis defended in 1974. Executive management postgraduate studies in the Dartmouth College and the Duke University, USA.

21 years in the Taurus Hungarian Rubber Works, starting in managerial jobs of the research and development area. For 9 years acting as executive vice president of the Taurus Group. At the French Group Schneider Electric, 7 years as country director Hungary, after regional director of M&A in Central and Eastern Europe. Since 2006, consultant in top management.

Past secretary general of the Federation of European Chemical Societies, board member of the Chemical Engineering Federation. Member of the Hungarian, the French-Hungarian and the German-Hungarian chambers of commerce and industry, invited lecturer

Since 2015, member of the Employers’ Group in the European Economic and Social Committee.

Andres Jaadla is

• Member of the European Committee of the Regions (Renew Europe)
• Mayor  City of Rakvere  2002 -2012 
• Member of Rakvere City Council
• Member of the Board of Housing Europe, the European Federation of Public, Cooperative, and Social Housing;
• Chairman of the Estonian Union of Co-operative Housing Associations;
• Head of the UNECE Center of Excellence on Sustainable Housing in Tallinn

Andres Jaadla has more than 25 years of professional experience working in the field of housing and urban management in Estonia and in the European Union.

Currently, he rapporteur of European Committee of the Regions   „Smart, sustainable and affordable housing as a tool for local authorities to face multiple challenges2

As  Chairman of the Estonian Union of Co-operative Housing Associations (EKYL), a housing federation working across Estonia to support cooperative housing and the renewal of housing stock through the implementation of knowledge-based activities like training, consulting, advisory services, research, and national and international cooperation projects. Mr. Jaadla is also head of the UNECE Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Housing in Tallinn, a board member of  Housing Europe, a member of Rakvere City Council, and a member of the European Committee of the Regions. He is the rapporteur of the CoR opinion "Smart, sustainable, and affordable housing as a tool for local authorities to face multiple challenges."

Andres Jaadla has a Master’s of Law from the University of Tartu. As former Mayor of Rakvere City (2002–2012), he is the initiator and the ambassador of the  European Climate Pact, European Covenant of Mayors and is focused on his work on energy efficiency, smart and innovative technical solutions, and final energy consumer involvement programs in housing and urban development.

Ms Ronzitti has been the General Secretary of SGI Europe (CEEP until December 2020) since May 2012. She reached this position after having worked for the organisation for nine years. Jurist, she joined SGI Europe General Secretariat in 2003, after having started her career practising labour and civil law in a law firm in Italy.

ln her function as SGI Europe General Secretary, she is responsible for managing the organisation, including overall policy making and implementation, external representation, communication to members, management and coaching of SGI Europe staff. Current priorities are focused on positioning high-performing services of general interest as a key ingredient for the future of the EU and the trigger for a completely new paradigm for the future of the European Project.

Ms Ronzitti has been an active member of the REFIT Platform (stakeholder group) from 2015 until 2019, where she represented the public services community and was rapporteur for Employment and co-rapporteur for Competition policies. She is now a Member of the Fit4Future Platform, led by European Commission Executive Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič.

Between June 2021 and May 2022, she represented SGI Europe in the Plenary of the Conference on the Future of Europe. Last but not least, she has been an active Member of the Board of the European Movement International since  2017, was elected Vice-President in 2020 and reelected in 2023.

Giulio Romani has been elected Confederal Secretary at the ETUC Congress in Berlin, in May 2023.

He began his  trade  union  activities  in  1996  as  trade  union  representative  at  Fiba  Cisl  (Trade  Union  Federation  of  Banking, Insurance, Tax  Collection and  Authority  Sectors)  of  Banca Monte  dei  Paschi  di  Siena, at Verona office, dealing with all branches in the Regions of Veneto, Trentino Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia.

From 1997 to 2001, he was acting Fiba Cisl General Secretary of Trentino Region. In 2001,  he was elected member of Fiba Cisl Secretariat at terriorial level of Verona and, then, at regional level of  Veneto.

In 2005 he was elected Fiba Cisl National Secretary of banking Sector, in 2009 he was confirmed  at the Fiba Cisl National Secretariat in charge of organizing issue, and in 2013 he was elected Fiba Cisl  General  Secretary. 

In  2015  he  promoted  and  managed  the  merger  of  Fiba  Cisl  with  the  autonomous  union representing bank officers and managers, creating a new Federation  (First Cisl) of which he has confirmed  as  General  Secretary. 

He  negotiated  directly  in  almost  all  Italian  banking  groups,  also  managing workforce reduction plans without any dismissal for tens of thousands of workers related to  the banking crises following the 2009 crisis.

He has signed national contracts for the Italian banking sector and for the Italian insurance company sector.

In addition he helped found in 2010 'First Social Life', a social promotion association, which, operating in the field of social  responsibility,  territorial welfare, labour,  culture and legality and  the  fight against  the mafia, in  synergy with the Giovanni Falcone Foundation.

In 2018 he was elected Cisl Confederal Secretary at national level where he, among other task, he dealed with the following issues:

• Labour market policies,  employment services;
• Collective  bargaining  model  and  policies,  decentralised  bargaining  policies  (including  the  Observatory on collective bargaining at territorial and enterprise level) and right to strike;
• Economic  Democracy  (democracy  at  work)  and  Trade  Union  Representativeness  (grassroots  union bodies, database);
• Tax, tariff and price policies; housing policies.
• Privatisation, liberalisation;
• International  policies,  European  policies,  international  social  solidarity  policies  in  coordination  with the General Secretariat.

In 2013 he presented a popular law proposal to the Italian Parliament to regulate the remuneration of managers, obtaining the certified signature of almost 120.000 citizens.   

In 2017 he drafted a proposal to reform the Italian banking system.

In 2023, before leaving the confederal secretariat of the CISL, he coordinated and directly participated in the drafting of a popular law proposal on worker participation in companies, economic democracy and social and environmental sustainability.

Emmanuelle Causse is the Secretary General of the International Union of Property Owners (UIPI), a pan-European non-profit umbrella association uniting 31 national property owners’ organisations across 28 countries in Europe.

As a representative to EU institutions, Emmanuelle's role is to advocate for the interests of European homeowners, co-owners, and private landlords in Europe. Throughout her engagement at UIPI, Emmanuelle has acquired extensive expertise in housing, financial matters, energy, and sustainable built environments.

Barbara Steenbergen has been committed to tenant protection for more than 20 years. She started in 2001 as head of the presidential office of the German Tenants' Union Deutscher Mieterbund www.mieterbund.de in Berlin and as political coordinator for energy policy and international affairs.

In 2007, the International Union of Tenants (IUT) elected her as head of the newly founded IUT Liaison Office to the European Union in Brussels, which she established in 2008. Since 2013 Barbara Steenbergen has been a member of the Executive Board of the IUT.

Since 2020 she is Vice Chair of the tenants’ association of Bonn, Germany www.mieterbund-bonn.de

She is responsible for the political relations, advocacy and representation of the interests of the European tenant associations towards the EU Commission, the EU Parliament and the EU Council.

About IUT:

The International Union of Tenants was founded in Zürich, Switzerland in 1926. The IUT is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. The IUT office in Brussels, Belgium, manages the work with the European institutions.  The IUT belongs to 75 tenant organisations in 51 countries worldwide. https://www.iut.nu/

Sorcha Edwards is General Secretary of Housing of Europe, the European Federation of Public, Cooperative and Social Housing since 2014. Housing Europe brings together public, cooperative and social housing providers from across Europe. They share a vision of a Europe which provides access to decent and affordable housing for all in communities which are socially, economically and environmentally sustainable and where everyone is enabled to reach their full potential. The sector manages 25 million homes and delivers over 200,000 new homes and renovations annually. Sorcha leads the team and coordinates the network for maximum impact aiming at better regulation, better knowledge and better finance for housing in EU and International policy-making. Under her leadership Housing Europe has become a point of reference for sustainable housing systems in Europe and beyond. Sorcha’s academic career which led her to this position covered business and languages at Dublin City University, University of Salamanca & University of Ulster, to a Masters in European studies at the University of Leuven and a post graduate diploma in sustainability in the build environment at the East London University.

Mateusz Szymański is the member of the European Economic and Social Committee since 2020 where represents the Workers' Group. He also sits in the EESC Section responsible for Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society (TEN). At national level, is responsible for international cooperation at the trade union NSZZ "Solidarność". 

Hans Dubois is a senior research manager in the Social Policies unit at Eurofound. He recently published a report on unaffordable and inadequate housing in Europe. His other research topics include household over-indebtedness, social benefits and services, and quality of life in the local area. Prior to joining Eurofound, he was Assistant Professor at Kozminski University (Warsaw). He completed a PhD in Business Administration and Management at Bocconi University (Milan), after working as a research officer at the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (Madrid).

Wim Gabriels is the Director of Erasmus Student Network, and has long-standing experience on European-level international student mobility programmes, as well as an extensive knowledge on European public funding, aiming for changes in the international education landscape across Europe with attention for the global dimension education can play in foreign policy through the involvement in Global Student and Alumni mechanisms. As a Graduate in Strategic Marketing and Communication, from the University of Antwerp, Wim believes effective communication strategies are key in order build credibility and visibility of international education activities. Active in Diversity and Inclusion and Community Engagement, Wim strives to make the Internationalisation of Education contribute to society at large.

Rossana Zaccaria has been since 2016 President of the National Association of Housing Cooperatives in Italy - Legacoop Abitanti and Coordinator of the ACI Housing (Italian Cooperative Alliance). I’m engaged in national and international institutional activities, research and development sectorial projects with universities, banking foundations, public administrations aimed at promoting the role of cooperative enterprises in the new processes related to Urban Regeneration new housing models able to develop a mix of offer that responds to new lifestyles and at the same time supports the housing needs of emerging fragilities.

Between 2002 and 2015 I was Project Manager of international projects funded by the European Commission on various social and technological innovation issues at ITC CNR, Finabita, Abitare e Anziani: environmental sustainability and community involvement, energy efficiency, Ambient Assisted Living.

Graduated in Modern Literature in Adult Education, over the years I have worked on education and social animation with various organizations: Amnesty International, United Nations Programme for the Environment / Friends for Life, Italia Nostra, RSA (Nursing Home).

Kurt Peeters has worked as a master in political science at the city of Leuven since 1998.

He started his career there as head of the youth department, where he was responsible for urban youth policy. In 2007 he became responsible for Leuven's strategic urban policy and social policy with themes such as diversity and integration, equal opportunities, combating child poverty, welfare and care.

Since 2020, Kurt has been a housing policy advisor to the city of Leuven, where he mainly monitors the impact of the housing crisis on more vulnerable groups. Within the city, he makes links between the fight against homelessness, housing quality, social and affordable housing projects and urban planning. He is board member of CLT Leuven.

Maria del Carmen Barrera Chamorro graduated in Labour Relations and Human Resources from the University of Seville, MBA with specialisation in international corporate finance from the International University of La Rioja. Confederal Secretary of European Policies of UGT Spain, she is in charge of the permanent representation of UGT Spain in Brussels, before the European institutions, as well as responsible for the UGT parliamentary coordination office in the European Parliament.

Vice-President of the Workers' Group of the European Economic and Social Council. EESC representative on the European platform to combat homelessness, EPOCH, nd rapporteur of the own-initiative opinion "for a European framework to combat homelessness with a housing first principle".​

Former President of the Spanish Economic and Social Council. She has achieved some important milestones in recent years, such as the reform of the Spanish pension law with extension of rights for workers. She has negotiated numerous state collective agreements with governments. Several of these agreements were subsequently transformed into laws such as the first Basic Statute for Spanish Public Employees. 

Krzysztof Balon; born 1955 in Cracow/Poland;

Master of Science, Social Management, Danube University of Krems, Austria;

Member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) since 2010;

Member of the EESC Bureau and President of the EESC Permanent Group Services of General Interest;

Member of the Public Benefit Council (consultative body to the Government for the development of civil society in Poland) 2003 - 2005 and 2007 - 2021, co-president of the Council 2012 - 2018;

Chairman of the Programming Committee of the Working Community of Associations of Social Organisations (an association of approx. 1000 non-profit organisations), Poland;

Vice-President of the Polish Committee of the European Anti-Poverty Network EAPN, Poland;

Vice-President of the Association EUROSOZIAL, Germany;

Officer of the Order of Merit, Republic of Poland;

Medal of Merit, Federal Republic of Germany

Filippo Cavassini is a Senior Economist at the OECD Economics Department, where he works on economic and sector policies aimed at strengthening economic performance and well-being, including housing policy. Recent work in this area includes reviews of housing policies aimed at improving the functioning of housing markets and facilitating access to housing and in-depth analysis of funding mechanisms for social and affordable housing. Previously, Filippo co-led the work of the Organisation on the application of behavioural economics to public policy and economic regulation. Prior to joining the OECD, Filippo worked for several years at the World Bank, advising governments in Central Asia, Europe and Latin America on public sector and economic reforms, and at the French National Assembly, working on economic and foreign policy matters. Filippo holds a Master in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School.

Johannes M. BÖHMER

Vice-Governor of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB)

German national

Johannes M. Böhmer was appointed Vice-Governor Social Development Strategy of the CEB in July 2022. His five-year mandate started on 1 August 2022.

Prior to his nomination, Johannes M. Böhmer held a wide range of senior positions and acted as a member of the General Management Committee at the CEB, thereby making substantial contributions to the Bank’s work and operations. Since joining the CEB in 2010 as Internal Auditor, general management responsibilities he successively held were those as Director of Human Development & Internal Services, Director of the Executive Office, and Director of European & External Affairs.

Prior to joining the Bank, from 2005 to 2009, Johannes M. Böhmer was Director of KPMG Germany’s High Growth Markets Practice for India – on post in Mumbai as Director of Indo-European Business Group in 2008-2009 – where he developed cross-functional strategies, coordinated Indo-European projects and enhanced audit and consulting work on Indo-European cross-border investment projects. Beforehand, from 2003 to 2005, he was Business Development Manager, Markets Northern Region of KPMG Germany, following more than ten years in the audit service at KPMG where he developed an in-depth knowledge in international statutory audit and financial advisory.

Johannes M. Böhmer holds an MBA in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Mannheim.

Andrea Colantonio, Lead Urban Development Specialist, European Investment Bank

Andrea is a lead urban development specialist at the European Investment Bank, responsible for the financing of urban development projects. Prior to this Andrea was at the London School of Economics, leading projects for major European cities on integrated urban development, institutional governance, sustainability policy, planning and evaluation methods.  He holds a PhD in Economic Geography and is the main author of Transforming Urban Economies: Policy Lessons from European and Asian Cities (2013); Urban Regeneration and Social Sustainability: Best Practice from European Cities (2010); and Urban Tourism and Development in the Socialist State: Havana during the Special Period (2006).

André Sobczak works to empower cities in EU decision making through Eurocities, following two terms as Vice-President of the Nantes Metropolitan Area. He is forging new connections with academia, where he has a history of driving social and ecological change, spearheading initiatives on issues like gender equality and precarious employment. He leads with an approach of multi-level cooperation between the public sector, businesses and civil society for tangible positive impact.

Carlos Sanchez Rivero is Team Leader at the European Commission. He is heading the Financing for Energy Efficiency team in DG ENER. Before joining the European Commission, he worked as analyst in private equity and real estate investment firms, and later as performance auditor at the European Court of Auditors. He holds a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering (UPM, Spain).

Laurent Ghekiere, Directeur des affaires européennes à l’Union Sociale pour l’Habitat (France), Président-fondateur de l’Observatoire européen du logement social de Housing Europe, expert auprès du CESE et du Comité des Régions sur les questions du logement et des services d’intérêt général, conseiller des intergroupes du Parlement européen « service public » et « urban – logement ».