On Monday 6 October, the EU Council’s Working Party on Social Questions will discuss a new draft of the Council’s conclusions on the European affordable housing plan, due in 2026, which Agence Europe has had the opportunity to consult.
Still divided into four sections - financing, sustainable construction and renovation, location of new buildings and social inclusion - the new text makes minor changes to certain statements in the previous version (see EUROPE 13707/29).
The thorny issue of State aid rules, raised by several member countries in the previous compromise (see EUROPE 13711/19), has been slightly reworked.
The current compromise refers to a possible review and the introduction of amendments that would potentially allow Member States, “where appropriate due to market failures, to support affordable and sustainable housing”.
The text also calls on the Commission to “promote an efficient, market-based housing system that encourages private investment and guarantees the free setting of prices and rents”, an addition since the previous version.
The mention of a potential new EU recommendation to combat homelessness has been included in the text, despite certain member countries’ scepticism on the subject (see EUROPE 13711/19).
The text also mentions the case of short-term rentals (often Airbnb), and calls on the Commission to find solutions that take account of each Member State’s political and national context.
Depending on the situation, the short-term rental market either “puts additional pressure on the supply of affordable housing for all” or “constitutes an effective tool that facilitates more rational use of the housing stock”, explains the compromise.
On 10 September, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged to do more to promote accessible housing and announced legislation on short-term rentals (see EUROPE 13706/9). (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)