Netherlands: European support for social housing in Amsterdam

This morning, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Amsterdam Housing Corporation Eigen Haard signed a €200 million loan agreement for the purpose of building energy-efficient rental housing and improving the sustainability of existing housing.

The loan will be used for Eigen Haard's multiannual sustainability improvement programme that will run until the end of 2020. This investment will make more energy-efficient housing available to low-income families in the Amsterdam region. The sustainability improvement works use techniques and materials aimed at making the housing as energy-efficient as possible. In this way, we expect to avoid 6,700 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year.

"Overall, houses and buildings are the biggest emitters of CO₂." said EIB Vice-President Pim van Ballekom. "The EIB has gained much experience in the financing of social housing and energy-efficient construction in other European countries, and we have been putting that expertise to use in the Netherlands for the past year and a half. Eigen Haard plays an important role in creating affordable living spaces with improved quality of living and life, and in the establishment of socially and environmentally sustainable neighbourhoods."

“For Eigen Haard, this is about more than just providing affordable housing in high quality buildings.” said Eigen Haard director Mieke van den Berg “Ensuring that the buildings are as energy-efficient as possible falls under our social responsibility.”

Because Eigen Haard is responsible for a considerable number of homes, the sustainability improvement programme also has an impact on sustainable development within the context of urban renewal.