Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović published today the report on her visit to Spain carried out in November 2022, with recommendations on social rights, in particular the right to housing and the right to health, the freedoms of expression and assembly and the human rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.

“Despite the significant efforts to advance the protection of social rights in recent years, people experience persisting inequalities in realising their social rights depending on where they live ”, says the Commissioner, calling for the transparent and sustainable allocation of resources and the adoption of common standards, in close co-operation with all competent authorities at central and local levels and in consultation with civil society, to ensure that the specific needs of the most vulnerable are met.

She underscores the need to urgently address structural issues hindering access to adequate housing such as low social housing stock, high costs of renting or buying a home, forced evictions and rising levels of homelessness. “Housing should not be treated as a commodity only available to some people. Access to adequate housing is a human right central to the full enjoyment of most other rights”, the Commissioner says. She highlights the importance of adopting the housing bill, currently in Parliament, as soon as possible as it aims to address some of these concerns.

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