Housing in Europe- Truly leaving no-one behind

Adequate housing is a human right, defined as part of the broader right to an adequate standard of living. Despite the European Union being one of the richest regions in the world, many of its inhabitants face difficulties in finding affordable housing. One in ten people in EU cities are overburdened by housing cost, 17% of people in the EU live in overcrowded homes and 9% are unable to keep the home adequately warm in winter. Housing costs have risen sharply in the EU over the last decade - by 47% between 2010 and 2022, while rents also increased by 18% in the same period (Housing Europe 2023). People with disabilities are particularly affected. Accessible housing is crucial for the economic security, health, and independence of people with disabilities, yet in EU countries they face significant challenges due to the shortage of accessible options, financial constraints, and insufficient information. The need to provide for diverse needs becomes more pressing as the population ages and the number of people with disabilities increases. Moreover, a large proportion of housing in EU countries, particularly in older buildings, has an unsustainable carbon footprint. Large scale efforts to renovate the housing stock in many European countries have been affected by inflation, while renovation costs remain unaffordable to many.
Over recent decades, housing policies have centred on the role of the state to establish an effective housing market. However, these have often led to reduced availability of social housing and increased financialization of the sector. Consequently, significant segments of the population have been unable to afford adequate housing, including young people, single mothers and their children, people with disabilities and migrants.
In the context of urgency to address the interlinked issues of social inclusion, affordability and environmental performance in the housing sector, a new EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing has been announced with the task of implementing an affordable housing programme. This provides an important opportunity for countries in the EU to take stock of prevailing housing policies, including how they have been impacted by national and European legislation, and to update regulatory and planning standards. It also allows the EC to support the housing sector through lenses of Cohesion Policy, Green Deal, social/employment policy and other relevant instruments, and contribute to a European housing sector that truly leaves no-one behind.
The Habitat Arena event will bring together several stakeholders including national and local government, civil society and the European Commission to review key challenges faced in the European Housing Sector and discuss how to make housing truly inclusive, sustainable and affordable for all.