Special committee on the Housing Crisis in the European Union

Housing as an EU priority

Housing is a social good and a human right, not a commodity for trading and speculation. Yet, we observe record housing costs across Europe hitting hard the young and old, the poorest and the middle class, while the rich are getting wealthier trading human rights for profit.

With the new special committee on the housing crisis up and running, this topic of major concern for millions of Europeans has finally become a priority in the European Parliament. The S&Ds brought housing to the forefront of the EU agenda, while actively campaigning for over a year for decent, affordable and sustainable homes. We are proud to have secured the new special committee in the European Parliament and the first European Commissioner for Housing. The S&Ds are happy to see Dan Jørgensen in this role.

A strong focus on housing in key EU institutions is essential for the implementation of the European affordable housing plan proposed by the S&Ds.

Main points of the European affordable housing plan

* Ensure massive investments to shield the low and middle-income groups against record housing costs, inter alia through the reform of EU state aid rules;
* Introduce clear rules on how to spend and manage EU money for housing:
- EU money for housing can only be spent for affordable housing, not holiday rentals;
- Social housing for rent has to be managed by public authorities, not investment funds, to ensure appropriate rent;
* Guarantee adequate regulation of short-term rentals;
* Tackling energy poverty and renovating buildings to reduce energy consumption and costs;
* Introduce a target in the European Pillar of Social Rights to achieve affordable housing for everyone;
* Eradicating homelessness and ensuring there is no child in Europe without a home.

About the housing committee

With the special committee on the housing crisis, we aim to thoroughly analyse the issues in the European housing market and find concrete solutions to increase the availability of decent, sustainable, and affordable housing across the EU.

The committee will focus on four main tasks:

1. Reviewing the effectiveness of public and private European and national funding;
2. Analysing housing shortages and the need for reforms at the EU level, including EU investment capacities in housing and social housing, EU state aid rules, and supply chain bottlenecks;
3. Examining proposals to strengthen programmes for new construction, conversion, and renovation, including the repurposing and reuse of existing properties;
4. Identifying innovative technologies, processes, services, and products to promote renovations.

Read more on the S&D priorities

The special committee on the housing crisis was formally set up during the January 2025 plenary session and will operate as a special committee of the European Parliament with an initial 12-month mandate. The S&Ds have six full members and six substitutes. Its primary objective is to produce a comprehensive report with recommendations for the European Commission on how to tackle Europe’s housing crisis. The constitutive session is scheduled for 30 January.