Interesting to hear, in Belgium for example the homeownership rate seems high(speaking from living here for a while). The culture is very much geared towards buying a house, alone or with a spouse. It's also a small country where people don't move alot, which might mean that they don't value flexibility as much as larger countries where moving is generally over larger distances.

Also, the banks offer very good rates for these types of loans if you have a stable job and prospect.

Renting for very long periods seem like a waste for many people here.

Parent probably meant renting not owning. Although in Europe there is some social housing poor people can buy, while if you're middle class you're kinda screwed as you're considered too rich to be allowed to buy into social housing but are too poor to afford buying into upper class housing and middle class housing in almost a disappearing species. You either live in the nice green quiet areas where all the old money is or you'll be a renter your whole life.