EU, Palmisano (M5S): “NRRP spirit betrayed on student housing; question to be submitted to the Commission”

Brussels – Valentina Palmisano, a Member of the European Parliament for the Five Star Movement, announced that she will submit a question to the European Commission calling for an investigation into the prices of beds in Italian student halls of residence funded by the European Union.

“In several Italian cities, the cost of a room in student halls of residence built with NRRP funds is higher than market prices. The Chora and Will investigation brings to light a worrying reality: young people have been penalised by a government system that treats them as objects to be exploited, rather than a strategic resource for the country’s future,” Palmisano said. “The Ministry of Education’s response fails to address the issue of excessive rents and merely shifts the blame, without tackling the root of the problem. In doing so, it betrays the very spirit of the NRRP,” she added.

 “The Conte government had secured, for the first time in European history, a common debt instrument and 209 billion euros earmarked for modernising the country and supporting the younger generations. The Meloni government, however, has subordinated that vision to private-sector interests, distorting the aims and objectives of the NRRP,” the Five Star Movement MEP continued. “European regulations are clear: university accommodation funded through the European Recovery and Resilience Facility must be made available at controlled rents, that is to say, at affordable prices not aligned with market rates. For these reasons, we will table a question to the European Commission, calling for a formal investigation into the prices of beds in student halls of residence built with European funds and into compliance with the obligations set out in the NRRP,” she announced. “Young people deserve better,” she concluded.