Joint Call for the Right to Housing in Europe
One year ago, the Party of the European Left launched the campaign “Housing is not a privilege, it’s a right!” to highlight the worsening housing crisis across Europe. Rising rents, energy poverty, overcrowding, homelessness and delayed independence for young people show how urgent this struggle has become.
After a year of mobilisations, cooperation with social movements, trade unions and progressive forces, we see a clear consensus: housing must be recognised and guaranteed as a fundamental right.
We are now taking the next step: a Joint Call for immediate and concrete measures from the EU and its member states. This process will lead to a common initiative at the European Forum of Left, Green and Progressive Forces in Vienna (31 October–2 November 2025).
An Initial Draft Proposal of the Joint Call is presented on EL’s Website, see here. Over the course of September 2025, we will finalise this text together through consultations with our allies—unions, movements, parties and public officials (MPs, MEPs).
At the same time, we call on the wider public to join our campaign and take part in the European Forum in Vienna, where we will further discuss the right to housing and strategize together for concrete change.
Housing is not a privilege—it’s a right, and together we can make it a reality for all.
Initial Draft Proposal of the Joint Call
Joint Call for the right to housing in Europe
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, social organisations, trade unions and political parties are making this joint Call for a European response to the housing crisis. We are making two key demands to the European Commission: to allocate public funds exclusively to public social housing and to promote direct financial support for individuals.
These demands can only be part of a broader strategy, and we are proposing eight specific proposals to address the housing crisis. We know that this is not an economic problem. It is unacceptable for the EU to use armed conflicts as a pretext to increase spending on arms, especially when no significant investments are being made to address the most pressing problem facing European citizens: access to decent housing. It is therefore a problem of political will. We believe that the priority should be the right to public housing rather than financing wars.
Proposal for the European Commission:
- 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. Public housing can be viewed as a long-term social investment, rather than merely a social expense. To reinforce this perspective, national programs could establish quantitative investment targets, accompanied by accountability mechanisms, such as financial sanctions in cases of non-compliance. This approach would help consolidate institutional commitment to the sustainable and equitable development of the housing sector.
- Legal caps on rent and sale prices: Introduce legal measures at the national or local level to cap housing costs. It is necessary to strengthen tenant protection. To achieve this, measures must be implemented to control speculative pricing and effectively regulate market practices.
- Regulate tourist rentals: Limit the number of tourists use. It is proposed to explicitly acknowledge that the regulation of tourist rentals serves as a key instrument to protect local housing markets from residential displacement and financial speculation.
- Restrict speculative ownership: Control and limit housing ownership by vulture and investment funds. It is proposed to explicitly include the regulation of institutional landlords and investment funds, with the aim of reducing real estate speculation, the financialization of the housing market, as well as practices related to money laundering and tax evasion.
- Ban evictions without alternatives: Prohibit evictions unless adequate housing alternatives are provided. It is proposed to explicitly advocate for strong tenant protections, ensuring that alternatives offered during eviction procedures are genuinely adequate and appropriate.
- 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.
- 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. Democratic control of interest rates and financial policy is necessary.
- Reclaim unused land and unoccupied housing: The reclamation of vacant properties that have remained unused for extended periods by institutional owners should be regulated to enable a rapid response to urgent housing needs.
The group of organisations firmly commits to bringing these proposals to the European level and to the member states. We request a meeting with the President of the Commission and the Commissioner for Housing to discuss these points. We also commit to promoting unified mobilisations throughout the European Union to defend the right to housing.
Initial Draft Proposal of the Joint Call
