REPORT on the housing crisis in the European Union with the aim of proposing solutions for decent, sustainable and affordable housing

Tabled by Maria Ohisalo

52. Removed: Welcomes Added: Believes that State aid rules on housing must be revised to modify the concept of ‘social housing’ with the aim of expanding its scope, referring to affordable, sustainable and decent housing aimed primarily at addressing the housing needs of socio-economically disadvantaged individuals – such as those at risk of poverty, social exclusion or homelessness or who are living in inadequate and undignified housing – as well as to low-to middle-income households, who are unable to access adequate accommodation under market conditions, facing structural barriers to housing affordability, notably in high-demand or undersupplied markets; calls for provisions to allow Service of General Economic Interest compensation only to ‘social housing’ providers that operate on a no-profit basis; welcomes the Commission’s consultation, launched on 5 June 2025 and takes note of … revision of the State aid rules for services of general economic interest Removed: (SGEI), to facilitate the provision of decent, sustainable and affordable housing in a faster and more efficient way, while allowing greater flexibility to facilitate national investments; underlines that Member States, in line with the principle of subsidiarity, should have the discretionary power to support this according to their local, regional or national needs; Added: (SGEI); underlines the importance of an ex ante impact assessment on a country-by-country … should not come at the cost of Member States’ investments in social Removed: housing, but could allow greater flexibility to facilitate public investment in housing, while respecting the diversity of national markets; acknowledges the risks that should be considered, including potential private and public crowding out, displacement of investment from social housing, compatibility with EU case-law, and the integrity of the single market; Added: housing; recalls the original purpose of SGEI and the fact that expanding the … broader target groups does not divert resources from the most vulnerable groups; Removed: is concerned that broadening the social housing target group under these rules risks exacerbating market distortions and undermining fair competition; highlights that it is essential to maintain Removed: a careful balance between addressing social housing needs and preserving competitive, efficient housing markets for all service providers, both public and private, Added: social housing under permanent public ownership in the provision of Removed: affordable housing; underlines the need to ensure that any future framework relating to affordable housing remains open, allowing both public and private operators to participate, thereby preserving a level playing field and preventing undue market exclusion; Added: any future framework;

Wording as published by the EP, in English. PE782.973v01-00