There's no real estate speculation like we think there is

The housing crisis is a reality in Portugal that has intensified in recent years. Local accommodation, golden visas and non-resident programs are usually the subject of political debates and public discussions when it comes to finding "culprits" for the rise in housing prices.

However, economist Vera Gouveia Barros, while recognizing that there are "serious problems in housing", rejects such simplistic interpretations and calls for more in-depth analysis based on facts and sound analyses, instead of scapegoating. She explains that "sometimes such ideas arise, but those who understand statistics realize that there is a thing called correlation between two phenomena occurring at the same time, and there is another, different thing called causality."

She emphasizes that there are "a number of indicators that should make us wonder to what extent house price rises are really a breach of the right to housing." She also commends the government for its "great attempt to increase the public housing supply" but calls for consideration of the young and elderly who have been left out of a package of measures that are not specific and explicitly conceived for these groups.

She also considers it necessary to "think in an integrated way" and to "create attractive conditions and services outside the two capitals", Lisbon and Porto, "because we know that everyone cannot live in the same place". She emphasizes the need for a diagnosis to determine what housing heritage exists and why it is not offered on the market.

She also notes that the right to housing includes not only the right to a roof over one's head, but also a range of other requirements related to the location of the house, infrastructure and services in the surrounding area, educational and health opportunities and transportation.

She also talks about the need for a more in-depth diagnosis to determine what housing legacy exists and why it is not being offered on the market. She concludes that housing policy cannot simply be about how to get housing on the market, but must be based on an integrated approach and creating conditions of attractiveness outside the capital.

She also talks about the need for a more in-depth diagnosis to determine what housing legacy exists and why it is not being offered on the market. She concludes that housing policy cannot simply be about how to get housing on the market, but must be based on an integrated approach and creating conditions of attractiveness outside the capital.