By Mark Laurence Zammit
Malta鈥檚 Housing Authority CEO has been named as one of 15 members of the European Commission鈥檚 newly established Housing Advisory Board. Matthew Zerafa, 31, is one of the experts tasked with advising the EU on housing policy across the continent. The main aim of the board is to find ways to tackle the challenges of affordable housing. The appointment was announced this week, after the 15 positions were filled by people chosen from over 200 applications. Zerafa is the only Maltese member among former ministers, mayors, university professors, researchers, directors and CEOs from across the EU. The European Commission said they were selected to be representative across expertise, geography and gender. The expert group was set up this year to provide 鈥渃oncrete, independent policy recommendations for the Commission to consider in preparing the European Affordable Housing Plan which is expected in early 2026鈥. Zarafa鈥檚 inclusion means Malta is one of 15 EU member states represented on the board. Malta鈥檚 housing market has faced significant challenges recently, including rising property and rental prices, limited land availability and increased demand driven by population growth. Zerafa鈥檚 participation on the board is expected to bring the Maltese perspective on these issues to the European level. Appointed CEO in 2022 Zerafa was appointed Housing Authority CEO in 2022, and his tenure so far has involved efforts to expand the authority鈥檚 remit beyond traditional social housing, focusing on affordability, housing quality and enforcement. The Housing Authority allocated around 550 social housing units on his watch, and a first-time buyers scheme announced in the 2023 bu-dget and administered by the authority is handing out 鈧1,000 to 5,000 individuals every year for 10 years after they buy their first property. Zerafa was previously head of secretariat and a policy consultant at the Ministry for Social Accommodation and Affordable Housing, where he worked, among other things, on the 2020 housing reform. The European Commission鈥檚 Housing Advisory Board held its inaugural meeting on June 30, with another meeting scheduled for September.