The figures are stark: nearly 1.3 million people are homeless across the 27-nation bloc -- more than the entire population of Brussels.
Over the past 15 years, housing prices have surged by 60 percent, while rents have climbed almost 30 percent, according to Eurostat data.
“Affordable housing is one of the most pressing challenges in Europe,” European Commission vice-president Teresa Ribera told a news conference to present the EU’s new “affordable housing plan”.
Among the measures advanced, the EU executive plans to propose legislation -- subject to approval by member states and parliament -- to curb short-term rentals such as Airbnb, particularly in tourist hotspots where locals blame them for driving up rents.
Measures could include capping the number of nights allowed.
The short-term rental crisis is particularly acute in Spain, where the government slapped a hefty fine on Airbnb this week notably for advertising banned properties.
Brussels also wants to help boost construction -- though not through quotas or price caps.
Instead, the EU executive hopes to tackle labour shortages through large-scale apprenticeship programmes and ease some environmental rules to speed up building permits.
It also aims to facilitate public investment in construction and mobilise private capital, which it estimates could help plough up to 375 billion euros ($440 billion) into the sector by 2029.
The commission estimates the bloc needs more than two million new homes annually to meet demand.
Housing is not an issue that comes under the remit of the EU, unlike agriculture, migration or trade -- meaning the responsibility to act lies primarily with member states to act on everything from urban planning to rental prices or housing benefits.
But pressure has mounted in recent years, particularly from the left, for Brussels to take action where it can.
“It is a widespread crisis all across the EU,” said Irene Tinagli, the socialist chair of the EU parliament’s housing committee, pointing to an issue that reaches far beyond Europe’s big city centres.
“We’ve been pushing for this for years but we’ve been struggling to put it at the core of the European policy,” said Tinagli.
The plan drew an enthusiastic welcome from a number of European city mayors -- who had been urging action at EU level.
Barcelona’s mayor Jaume Collboni said it “represents a turning point for Europe’s housing crisis”.
Likewise the deputy mayor in charge of housing for Paris, Jacques Baudrier, told AFP it was an encouraging development.
“There are still many things to work out, but it’s a step forward in the battle,” he said.
