EuroHealthNet responds to consultation on the Affordable Housing Plan

Housing affordability has become an increasingly widespread and urgent issue across Europe. Rising house prices and rents, interest rates, utility and renovation costs are affecting both low- and middle-income
households. Vulnerable people suffer disproportionately from this situation, especially if they cannot access social housing and there is increased homelessness.  A lack of affordable, sustainable, and decent housing units is hampering individual life chances, labour mobility, and educational opportunity, hurting economic growth, competitiveness, and social cohesion.

With this consultation, the Commission seeks input from citizens and a wide range of stakeholders for its upcoming EU Affordable Housing Plan. The aim is to help identify where EU-level action would add the most value. This public consultation, alongside expert seminars, workshops, and other themed consultation events will feed into the plan, planned for adoption in the first quarter of 2026.

Responding to the consultation, EuroHealthNet underlined that housing is a major determinant of both physical and mental health, and that unaffordable housing is associated with hypertension, arthritis, and poorer health. It called for the Affordable Housing Plan to apply an equity lens, prioritising those most vulnerable to high housing prices, and that it focuses not just on affordability, but also quality and sustainability of housing.

Read our consultation response here.

For more on housing as a determinant of health, have a look at Flashcard on Housing, part of our European Pillar of Social Rights Flashcard Tool.