The ministry

The range of competence of the ministry is fixed by the Government regulation.

Housing

The Department of Housing is responsible for implementing the general housing policy. It is particularly responsible for ensuring access to suitable and affordable housing for all citizens through assistance programmes and by supporting local authorities and public and private stakeholders in the implementation of affordable housing projects.

The assistance and support measures and tools provided include:

• The Bricks-and-mortar subsidies (Aides à la pierre)
• The Individual housing aids
• The Development of affordable housing
• The Pacte logement 2.0 – support for municipalities
• The sectoral Master Plan "Housing”
• The Implementation of Article 29/29bis
• The Social rental managment  
• The Lease contract (Bail à loyer)
• The Analyses and publications from the Housing Observatory (Observatoire de l'habitat)
• Fonds du Logement
• Société nationale des habitations à bon marché (SNHBM)

Spatial Planning (DATer)

The Department of Spatial Planning (DATer) of the Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning is responsible for coordinating the territorial impact of governmental and municipal sectoral policies and, in cooperation with municipal actors, for reconciling socio-economic development with the protection of the environment and its natural resources.

The aim is to preserve landscapes by promoting the specific assets of a region and contributing to both efficient land use and the coordination of land-use needs.

The objective of spatial planning is to ensure optimal living conditions for the country's inhabitants through the sustainable development of its different regions by determining how to distribute development across the territory in an equitable and balanced manner, with a view to ensuring the sustainability and resilience of the territory.

To this end:

• it develops territorial strategies (Master Programme for Spatial Planning, PDAT), territorial visions for the various “action areas” defined in the PDAT);
• it observes and monitors territorial developments (Territorial Development Observatory, Raum+, Geographic Information System);
• it draws up regulatory plans (Sectoral Master Plans, Special Zoning Plans);
• it coordinates projects in the context of regional development, urban policy, natural parks and urban and peri-urban areas;
• it carries out cross-border projects in the Greater Region, at European and international level;
• it acts as the national authority for various cooperation programmes (Interreg North-West Europe and Europe, Interact and URBACT) and as the managing authority for the Interreg Greater Region programme and the European Observation Network for Territorial Development and Cohesion (ESPON).