Archive for year: 2016

Kurt Xerri, predoctoral researcherd of Housing Chair URV, has participed on 28th july in the meeting of Foro Komunita Bormliza which it was attended by the President of Malta, the Ms. Marie Louise Coleiro Preca. The main aim of the meeting was to speak out about the need to have a national housing policy to safeguard local communities in cities across the island of Malta. In the presentation that Mrs. Kurt Xerri gave during the meeting, he said that solutions to the current crisis could include subsidies to help low income households, incentives to encourage home owners to rent out any unused properties, as well as rent stabilization measures.

The Governing Council of the URV has agreed to award Gemma Caballé, a member of The Housing Chair, with the ”Extraordinary Award” in recognition of the best academic career of the Master of Business Law and the Contracting of the academic year 2014/15. This is the second consecutive time that Gemma Caballé receive this award, as it also was recognized the best award of the Degree in Law from the University Rovira i Virgili in promotion degree 2010/2014.

Dr. Sergio Nasarre Aznar, Professor of Civil Law and Director of the Housing Chair URV has been invited by the European Commission (The Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets) to participate as speaker at the International Conference on covered bonds held on February 1st in order to inform on the harmonization of mortgage bonds in Europe because, which despite being a very robust financial product, it has some shortcomings, such as the negative impact of the crisis that some national covered bonds have suffered.

It is a very important decision to achieve a real common European mortgage market because mortgages represent more than 50% of European GDP and is an area not yet harmonized. The harmonization of covered bonds may mitigate the negative consequences of a new mortgage crisis.

Members of the Housing Chair met on January 21th with the team of Reviure Solanell, a project created to rebuild and revive the village Solanell. One of the options that could be applied would be the use of shared ownership.