HOUSING CAMPAIGN

Housing is not a privilege, it’s a right!
Campaign 2025 

The Party of the European Left (EL) affirms that housing is a fundamental right for all Europeans. According to recent studies many EU citizens are struggling to afford their housing costs, which have been rising significantly across the EU.  Between 2010 and 2023:  

  • Average housing rent in the EU increased by 22%.  
  • 10.6% of people in EU cities spent more than 40% of their disposable income on housing costs (compared to 7% in rural areas),  
  • About 11% of the EU population were unable to adequately heat their homes (a situation referred to as “energy poverty”). 
  • Around 17% of the EU population lived in overcrowded homes.  

Furthermore, young people are becoming independent later and later, while the number of homeless individuals continues to rise each year.1 

This highlights the urgent need for action. That is why, throughout 2025, the EL is embarking on a campaign to claim housing as a fundamental right, not a privilege reserved for the few. 

The housing crisis is a problem of significant proportions, affecting the entire European working class. The primary goal of this campaign, led by the Party of the European Left, is to fight for better living conditions for all. 

1 Source: Eurostat, Housing in Europe – 2024 edition.

The Housing Crisis: A Growing Emergency 

Housing is not a privilege for the few but a basic right for everyone. In response to the growing housing crisis affecting millions across Europe, the EL is committed to leading a strong and targeted mobilization. 

The European Commission will be approached with two key demands: to allocate public funds exclusively to public social housing and to promote direct financial support for individuals. These demands are part of a broader strategy, outlined further in the text, with 8 concrete proposals to address the housing crisis. 

It is unacceptable that the EU uses armed conflicts as a pretext to increase spending on weapons, particularly when no significant investments are being made to address the most pressing issue facing people in Europe: access to decent housing. 

Proposals

to address the housing crisis:

  1. Public Investment in Public Social Housing: Expand social housing beyond lowest-income groups to include the broader population, inspired by concrete positive examples of universal housing models all over Europe. The EU can provide funding and support to member states without breaching regulations. 
  1. Legal caps on rent and sale prices: Introduce legal measures at the national or local level to cap housing costs. 
  1. Regulate Tourist Rentals: Limit the number of tourists use.  
  1. Restrict Speculative Ownership:  Control and limit housing ownership by vulture and investment funds. 
  1. Ban Evictions Without Alternatives: Prohibit evictions unless adequate housing alternatives are provided. 
  1. Financial aid for Housing Rehabilitation:  Provide financial aid for housing rehabilitation that prioritize sustainability and energy efficiency criteria. This could be funded through European resources, such as financing at 0% interest or subsidized rates. 
  1. Contain interest rates and challenge ECB independence: Advocate for policies to contain interest rates and challenge the European Central Bank’s (ECB) independence, ensuring interest rates do not become tools of speculation that harm citizens. 
  1. Reclaim unused land and unoccupied housing. 

Throughout 2025, the EL will work to unite: 

  • Social Movements 
  • Trade Unions 
  • Left-wing Organizations 

This campaign fosters solidarity with all struggles to guarantee an essential element in the living conditions of the working class in Europe: decent and affordable housing for all citizens. 

We view this campaign as a significant step toward building a broader process of popular mobilization across Europe, uniting people in the fight for the right to decent housing for all. 

Call to Action: Join the Fight for Housing Solutions 

Tell Your Story, Change the Narrative 

Share your photos and personal stories about the housing crisis. Every voice counts. 

We want to hear from you. The housing crisis is more than statistics—it’s the lived reality of millions of Europeans. Your experiences and images can amplify the struggle and inspire action across Europe. 

Submit your photos, share your personal stories, and help us shine a spotlight on housing struggles. Together, we can make the fight for decent and affordable housing a powerful movement for change. 

Deadline: by 28th of February 2025 

Sent to: info@european-left.org 

On 30 January, the constitutive meeting of the European Parliament’s new special committee on the Housing Crisis in the European Union (HOUS), established in December 2024, will take place to discuss the housing problem. However, this issue has affected us for years, and the elites have no interest in changing the status quo because they benefit from speculation. 

We are launching the housing campaign to ensure that the housing crisis is both heard and seen, giving those of us experiencing it firsthand a platform to share our stories. 

Public Mobilization and Institutional Efforts 

Recent events, such as the housing protests in Spain—where over 100,000 people marched in Madrid—demonstrate the urgency of the crisis. These protests gained media attention and pushed local authorities to consider stricter regulations on investment funds and rent controls. Similar protests across Europe reveal the widespread impact of skyrocketing housing costs driven by speculative investment funds. 

At the institutional level, there have been encouraging developments: 

  • Austria has implemented effective housing measures. 
  • The city councils of Paris and Barcelona have also introduced successful initiatives. 

While this document cannot cover every initiative, the EL aims to synthesize the demands of social movements and trade unions with proven practices already in place. 

The housing crisis is a critical issue that demands urgent action. This campaign represents a bold step forward in advocating for the right to housing and better living conditions for all Europeans. 

By mobilizing communities, collaborating with key stakeholders, and proposing actionable solutions, the Party of the European Left aims to make housing a reality for everyone—not a privilege for the few. Through solidarity, institutional engagement, and concrete proposals, we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that decent and affordable housing becomes a right for all and not a struggle for many.

related documents

Housing Situation in Europe

EL CAMPAIGN PLAN 2025 ON HOUSING

CAMPAIGN’S VISUALS

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Upcoming Events

Housing Campaign in pictures & Videos.

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