Special committee on the Housing Crisis in the European Union: extension of the term of office and adjustment of its responsibilities

European Parliament decision of 7 July 2026 amending the decision of 18 December 2024 on setting up a special committee on the Housing Crisis in the European Union to extend the special committee’s term of office and adjust its responsibilities (2026/2807(RSO))

The European Parliament,

–having regard to the proposal from the Conference of Presidents,

–having regard to the Treaty on European Union (TEU), in particular Article 3(3) thereof, and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), in particular Articles 9, 14, 148, 153, 160 and 168 thereof, and Protocol No 26 to the TEU and to the TFEU on services of general interest,

–having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

–having regard to the European Pillar of Social Rights,

–having regard to its resolution of 21 January 2021 on access to decent and affordable housing for all,

–having regard to its decision of 18 December 2024 on setting up a special committee on the Housing Crisis in the European Union, and defining its responsibilities, numerical strength and term of office,

–having regard to its resolution of 10 March 2026 on the housing crisis in the European Union with the aim of proposing solutions for decent, sustainable and affordable housing,

–having regard to Rule 213 of its Rules of Procedure,

A.whereas Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that ‘everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care’;

B.whereas the European Pillar of Social Rights states that access to social housing or housing assistance of good quality is to be provided for those in need and this is to be implemented at both Union and national level within their respective competences; whereas adequate shelters and services are to be provided to people experiencing homelessness in order to promote their social inclusion; whereas the right to housing for people with disabilities deserves special protection and dedicated policies to ensure housing accessibility;

C.whereas the European Union is facing a housing crisis, with people of all ages across different income groups struggling with high prices and scarcity of affordable homes; whereas unaffordable housing is a matter of great concern for many Union citizens and prevents them, particularly young people, from starting an independent life; whereas that crisis affects people in all Member States and can have a negative impact on their health, well-being and living conditions;

D.whereas protecting private property and ensuring legal certainty for private owners, including best practices in relation to the fight against squatting, as well as protecting people from evictions, are important aspects at national level affecting housing availability and the right to housing in certain Member States;

E.whereas housing policies fall primarily within the competences of Member States, and the Union is bound to comply with the principle of subsidiarity in accordance with Article 5(1) TEU; whereas the Union plays a key role in enabling and enhancing the capacity of Member States, regions and municipalities to respond to the housing crisis;

F.whereas there is a need to have a holistic approach on housing combining different policies dealt with in different committees within Parliament;

1.Decides to extend the term of office of the special committee named ‘Special committee on the Housing Crisis in the European Union’ by six months with the aim of monitoring the solutions proposed in its resolution of 10 March 2026 for decent, sustainable and affordable housing;

2.Decides that that committee shall carry out, in cooperation and consultation with the competent standing committees where their powers and responsibilities under Annex VI to the Rules of Procedure are concerned, the following responsibilities:

(a)to monitor the Commission’s response to its resolution of 10 March 2026 and to further promote the policy proposals put forward in that resolution and coordinate with the Commission and the Member States to this end;

(b)to keep mapping the existing relevant Union, national, regional and local housing policies with a focus on the availability of targeted instruments for social, sustainable and affordable housing in cities, islands and coastal and rural areas with a view to identifying and issuing recommendations, including policies dedicated to housing accessibility for people with disabilities or reduced mobility;

(c)to identify and propose priorities on all Union legislation relevant to housing and actively participate in the forthcoming housing simplification procedure that the Commission will deliver in 2027 with a view to accelerating and simplifying permitting and renovation processes while reducing unnecessary burdens;

(d)to coordinate with the Commission in order to identify best models and practices in the Member States to grant legal certainty and protection to property owners and tenants in order to ensure stability and affordability;

(e)to assess potential barriers affecting the construction sector and their impact on the housing crisis;

(f)to organise regular meetings with European Investment Bank representatives to monitor the implementation of the new Pan-European Investment Platform for affordable and sustainable housing, including a digital portal, an expert group and national hubs planned for the third trimester of 2026;

(g)to analyse the impact of abusive financialisation practices and speculation and their economic consequences, as well as to propose follow-up actions;

(h)to assess whether the trend in house prices and rents is adequately taken into account in the cost-of-living indicators and related policies;

(i)to map and to assess the effectiveness of public and private Union and national resources, including existing Union funds dedicated to decent, sustainable and affordable housing and to the eradication of homelessness;

(j)to analyse systemic issues with short-term accommodation rentals and their impact on the availability of affordable housing in particularly affected areas and to make relevant proposals as a contribution to the preparation of forthcoming Union legislative measures in this area;

(k)to monitor the implementation of the Union legislation on data collection and sharing relating to short-term accommodation rental services, which had to be adopted at national level by 20 May 2026;

(l)to analyse effects of Union policies that influence the availability and affordability of housing, including bottlenecks in current Union regulations with regard to investment capacity, on housing and social housing, State aid and supply chain shortages, as well as to monitor the revision of State aid rules applicable to social and affordable housing providers and to assess their adequacy in light of identified investment needs;

(m)to identify shortages in availability, sustainability and financing needs for affordable housing and to contribute to the multiannual financial framework discussions to ensure that dedicated housing investment capacity is clearly embedded with sufficient funding in the next financial framework;

(n)to assess the impact and possible synergies of supporting public, cooperative, non-profit and limited-profit housing supply solutions on the affordability and accessibility of housing for different groups;

(o)to organise meetings with experts from the Union institutions and competent authorities, international, national and regional institutions, non-governmental organisations and relevant sectors of the economy, taking into account the perspectives of a range of stakeholders in order to support the Commission in delivering on the EU Affordable Housing Plan and in the context of the European Housing Alliance;

(p)to conduct visits to study best practices around Europe;

(q)to prepare for, and follow up on, the EU Housing Summit 2026;

3.Invites the special committee to present, at the end of its extended term of office, its conclusions regarding the implementation of Parliament’s resolution of 10 March 2026.