Protestors call for more affordable housing

Protestors gather in Luxembourg City on Saturday Photo: Luc Deflorenne

Hundreds of protestors took to the streets of the capital this weekend to call for cheaper housing, calling on the government to do more to fight the country's inflated property prices.

Marching from Glacis in the Limpertsberg district to the nearby Hôtel de la poste on Royal Hamilius on Saturday afternoon, the Mieterschutz Lëtzebuerg group - which defends the rights of tenants - demanded to end land speculation and build more affordable homes.

The group, is made up of 18 organisations including the OGBL social-democrat trade union, the country's largest.

Housing costs increased by 13.3% in the second quarter, the highest increase in the EU, statistics agency Eurostat said on Wednesday.

A buyer in Luxembourg now pays an average of €8,354 per square metre for a new flat, and €6,826 for an existing one.

Luxembourg's government has increasingly been under pressure to intervene more strongly in the market, to better protect renters and to create more affordable housing.

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