Brussels’ plans for the coming year include a significant initiative on short-term rentals expected in the spring. Tourist flats, defined as furnished accommodations for brief stays, are a major contributor to high housing costs in major cities across the bloc. Housing Commissioner Dan Jørgensen has expressed a desire to regulate these properties.
“We cannot allow that locals are pushed out of their neighborhoods,” Jørgensen stated Tuesday, noting that the Commission’s proposal will find a balance with a firm yet fair approach.
Towards the end of 2026, Brussels will unveil its Construction Services Act, designed to reduce regulations in the building sector and speed up new home construction. This new legislation will follow the Commission’s upcoming Affordable Housing Plan, set for release in December, which Jørgensen said will target the financialization of the housing sector and combat selfish speculation on a fundamental need like housing.
The EU’s main institutions are acting quickly to tackle the housing crisis, which is boosting far-right parties’ growth throughout the bloc. In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders and his far-right Party for Freedom won the 2023 national vote, campaigning on a housing shortage he attributed to migrants and asylum seekers. Similarly, Portugal’s Chega party surged to become the leading opposition by criticizing the failure of establishment parties to tackle soaring home prices.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen indicated her personal commitment to addressing the housing issue ahead of her 2024 reelection bid, describing the housing shortage as a social crisis in this year’s State of the European Union address. The European Parliament initiated a special committee on the crisis earlier this year, and national leaders are scheduled to discuss the issue at the European Council summit in Brussels this week.
“Across all sectors, my point is the same,” von der Leyen told lawmakers on Tuesday. “Europe must deliver for all of its people.”
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