It’s a punch action with in the end… an appointment with the Minister! Several activists from the Basque movement Herria Bal (also called EHBai) undertook this Monday morning the occupation of the secondary residence of the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire, in Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. They were finally able to get an appointment with him for the next few days to discuss the subject of second homes.
Without going inside the house, EHBai activists removed tiles from its roof to demand “the lifting of the 60% surcharge on second homes”, according to statements by a spokeswoman, in a video posted on social media. “This surcharge has no dissuasive effect on owners of second homes since it represents a few hundred euros per year at most”, writes the association on its website.
Secondary residences that drive up prices
The question of second homes is an important question where it is complicated to find accommodation. They represent 9.9% of housing in 2021, according to INSEE, but can reach a much higher share in certain departments – up to more than 45% in the Hautes-Alpes. “As a reminder, there are at least 41,000 second homes in the Northern Basque Country. This represents more than 21% of the housing stock, ”deplores EHBai, who therefore wants to make their owners pay more.
The timing of the action taken by these activists is not innocent. “Bruno Le Maire and his services are currently working on the 2023 finance bill which will be brought before parliamentarians before the end of the year”, writes EHBai, in a press release. Thanks to the meeting obtained, the association hopes to make the government move forward on the subject… At the risk of seeing the residence of the Minister of the Economy without a tile?