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

O. whereas Removed: 69.2 % of EU households were owner-occupiers in 202333 , reflecting the importance of property ownership as a driver of stability, intergenerational wealth and freedom of investment; whereas half of EU homeowners have no mortgage, and around one quarter are still at risk of poverty34 ; whereas property ownership provides additional financial stability for families and pensioners; whereas disrespect for property affects communities and small property owners, especially in cases of illegal occupation or prolonged misuse of the dwelling in the context of contractual relationships that lack effective enforcement; whereas private property is threatened by illegal occupation, known as squatting, and systematic non-payment of rent phenomena, which harms communities and particularly small property owners, forcing them to exit the market and to rightfully recover their property, thereby reducing the available supply and contributing to rising prices whereas illegally staying in a property undermines the EU Charter and constitutes a violation of the rule of law; Added: according to Article 17 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, ‘everyone has the right to own, use, dispose of and bequeath his or her lawfully acquired possessions, ... no one may be deprived of his or her possessions, except in the public interest and in the cases and under the conditions provided for by law, subject to fair compensation being paid in good time for their loss, and ... the use of property may be regulated by law in so far as is necessary for the general interest’; whereas evictions disproportionately affect at-risk groups and families, including low-income households and minority groups, and are too often carried out without consideration for the fundamental rights and dignity of the people concerned; whereas housing is often the sphere where inequalities are most visible, revealing forms of aporophobia, that is, discrimination based on socio-economic status or poverty; whereas evictions have deep and lasting effects on individuals and families, undermining mental and physical health, disrupting access to education, employment and care services, and entrenching cycles of poverty and social exclusion; whereas the EU, Member States and public authorities bear responsibility for Removed: addressing property owners’ rights, and providing particular support to small-scale owners, families in need and vulnerable households; 33 Eurostat, ‘Living conditions in Europe - housing’, Eurostat website, November 2025, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Living_conditions_in_Europe_-_housing. 34 European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound), ‘Living conditions and quality of life - Unaffordable and inadequate housing in Europe’, 2023, p.20, https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/en/publications/all/unaffordable-and-inadequate-housing-europe. Added: providing effective housing solutions for the rights and needs of vulnerable households in accordance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, including, inter alia, its provisions on the fundamental right to human dignity, the prohibition of degrading treatment, non-discrimination and private property;

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