The State of Housing in the EU (Housing Europe, 2012-2019)
Housing Europe is the European Federation of Public, Cooperative and Social Housing, based in Brussels: http://www.housingeurope.eu
Since 2015, it publishes a biannual report titled "The State of Housing in the EU", which is a rich source of information and data regarding not only public and social housing but generally housing markets and regulations across the EU countries.
Beore 2015, it had published two overall reviews in 2007 and 2012.
The State of Housing in the EU 2019: Decoding the new housing reality
Published by Housing Europe on 1 October 2019
Summary by Housing Europe:
Addressing a structural problem with patchwork: Europe’s housing crisis, already identified in the 2015 and 2017 editions of the ‘State of Housing in the EU’ is still a reality many countries are confronted with. What we have seen, in the meantime, is that although this is clearly a structural problem- as the data below shows- it continues to be addressed by decision makers with a patchwork of, often costly, policy solutions.
Housing and the alarming social divide: The housing question is at the heart of the growing social divide that we observe in most European societies over the last years. While accessing and sustaining decent accommodation is primarily an issue for those living on low incomes, more and more people are affected by the lack of affordable housing, particularly in big cities, and make their voice heard putting housing de facto on the political agenda.
Cities at the forefront of the housing challenge: The role of cities in determining housing policies and ultimately housing conditions of their inhabitants has become a key policy topic in recent years. This is due on the one hand to increasing evidence showing that cities, in Europe and beyond, are the places where the shortage of affordable housing is mostly concentrated and on the other to a number of city-led policy initiatives in the field of housing.
Changes in housing delivery: The role of social and affordable housing providers continues to evolve, going beyond just housing provision reacting to changing needs.
Housing, a priority for decision makers at Local, National and European level: No doubt, housing is a local issue and, as mentioned above, local authorities tend to take over bigger shares of responsibility. However, the national policies as well as the European agenda in multiple housing-related areas are more than ever intertwined with the local dimension.
The State of Housing in the EU 2017: Housing is still Europe’s challenge
Published by Housing Europe on 17 October 2017
Summary by Housing Europe:
Housing has become the highest expenditure for Europeans and overburden rate remains stable at high level, hitting disproportionally harder the poor.
House prices are growing faster than income in most Member States, while inequality and housing exclusion are mutually reinforcing.
Territorial divide is alarming, as finding adequate and affordable housing in places where job opportunities are, is increasingly hard.
As the level of housing construction is still low, especially major cities face a structural housing shortage reinforced by recent waves of migration.
Political response to Europe’s housing challenge remains poor, a fact reflected in increasing levels of homelessness. Only cities, that are at the forefront of the housing crisis, are showing a more prominent role in finding solutions.
The State of Housing in the EU 2015: A Housing Europe Review
Published by Housing Europe on 5 May 2015
Summary by Housing Europe:
The housing markets are very heterogeneous, making it very difficult to propose a one size fits all approach to housing markets and housing policy from the EU level. The best way, indeed, to observe the markets is at national and even regional level, since the needs of the metropolitan areas, which become increasingly dense, differ a lot from the ones of the rural areas.
There is a sort of “housing trap” in many EU counties, for people who try to enter the housing market:
The rental sector is expensive
Home ownership is not an option due to the even higher cost
Social homes are just not enough with waiting lists growing in a number of countries, including Italy, the UK, France and Ireland.
This leads in many countries to the generational phenomenon that the majority of people aged 18-34 still live with their parents- 66% of them in Italy, 58% in Portugal, 55% in Spain, 74% in Slovakia etc.
A large number of households are overburdened by housing costs and this becomes more and more evident in the crisis-ridden countries like Greece, where more and more families appear to have difficulties to cover their housing expenses as the crisis keeps evolving.
The Housing Europe Review 2012: The nuts and bolts of European social housing system
Published by Housing Europe on 1 December 2012
Summary by Housing Europe:
This Review provides an update of the 2007 report "Housing Europe 2007: Review of social, co-operative and public housing in the 27 EU member states".
While the previous review aimed at providing an overview of the main development in housing policies and housing markets affecting the social, cooperative and public housing sector, the current study focuses on social housing and aims at providing a clearer picture of the way social housing systems are structured across the EU, while identifying the main recent trends in the sector.
Housing Europe 2007: Review of social, cooperative and public housing in the 27 European states
Published by Housing Europe in December 2007
A PDF version of the report is available on World Habitat's site: https://www.world-habitat.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/CECODHAS-Housing-Europe-2007.pdf
Summary:
This detailed report presents an overview of the main trends and issues facing the social, co-operative and public housing sectors in each country, as well as providing national profiles and key housing-related data.
The study draws on data provided by the network of CECODHAS [Housing Europe] correspondents, as well as from external national experts.
This report provides reliable and up-to-date data on the socially provided housing sector in Europe. For each country, there is a brief overview setting out the following information:
An overview of the social, co-operative and public housing system in the country
Main market trends affecting social, cooperative and public housing
Main social and demographic changes in the demand for social, co-operative and public housing
Main policy developments in the field of housing, in particular with respect to social, co-operative and public housing
Main changes in the scope of activity of social , co-operative and public housing providers
Main changes in urban regeneration and sustainable communities’ policy and in urban development
In addition, for each country, there is a statistical information section that includes the following data:
Stock details
Housing affordability information
Costs of construction
Changes in the housing market
Housing quality information
Public subsidy details
Key demographic data
