CESI@noon on affordable housing

Europe is facing an increasingly severe housing affordability crisis. Over the past decade, rents and house prices have risen sharply while wages have failed to keep pace, leaving many Europeans struggling to secure decent and affordable housing. Today, one in ten people in the EU is overburdened by housing costs, and the situation is particularly acute for young people, single-parent households and low- to middle-income workers, according to a study produced for the European Parliament. Housing has become one of the most pressing social challenges in Europe, directly affecting social cohesion, labour mobility and quality of life.

Against this backdrop and in the context of CESI’s EU-funded PillACT project, CESI Youth organised a CESI@noon lunchtime debate on the European Commission’s newly launched European Affordable Housing Plan, bringing together representatives from European institutions, social partners and civil society representatives to explore how Europe can respond to the housing crisis in a way that is socially just, inclusive and sustainable. The event placed housing firmly within the framework of the European Pillar of Social Rights, reaffirming that access to affordable, adequate housing is a fundamental social right and not merely a market commodity.

The discussion addressed the structural causes behind rising housing costs, including financialisation of housing, gentrification, shortages in social and affordable housing stock, touristification and speculative vacancies. Particular attention was paid to the barriers faced by young people and vulnerable groups in achieving housing independence, as well as the disproportionate impact of the housing crisis on young women and single parents. Speakers examined how energy efficiency and sustainability policies can be aligned with affordability objectives, ensuring that the green transition does not exacerbate housing inequalities.

A central focus of the event was the European policy response in line with the objectives of the European Pillar of Social Rights. Participants discussed the proposed European Affordable Housing Plan, the need for stronger EU-level investment in social and public housing, and the potential of a possible European Housing Guarantee to ensure that no household spends more than 30% of its income on housing. The role of cohesion policy, energy policy and the European Parliament’s work on the housing crisis were also explored, as potential ways to mitigate the challenges driven by the housing crisis.

Hans Dubois, Senior Researcher at the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound), explained housing trends in the EU, highlighting the multifaceted impacts of the housing crisis on different regional, demographic and economic population categories.

Bogdan-Alexandru Chelariu, EU Policy Officer at the CEE Bankwatch Network, stated: “The link between the EU’s energy-efficiency renovation investments and housing policy is becoming increasingly important. Both cohesion policy funds and the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility are heavily investing in large-scale projects aimed at cutting building sector emissions. Even without merging the two policies, pursuing decarbonisation of the building sector while explicitly considering its effects on housing could have an unexpected positive spillover, helping to address the evolving housing crisis.'

Annika Sparrer, Policy and Membership Development Officer at Eurodiaconia, concluded: “We have to build a housing market based on housing needs, not market demands. Therefore, public money must be channelled to those acting in public interest: social and not-for-profit housing providers as well as social service providers that support people in need.

MEP Alicia Homs, Spanish member of the European Parliament and member of the Housing Special Committee, declared: “The housing crisis will not be solved by the market alone. From the housing Committee, we stand for regulation, public and social housing, fighting speculation and protecting tenants. Because without decent housing, there will not be a social Europe.”

Antonello Pietrangelli, newly elected CESI Youth Representative, highlighted: “Housing is not just an economic issue but a question of social justice, it is a public good, a fundamental right and the cornerstone of human dignity - not merely a market commodity. Let’s make it work for young people for their present and future life.”