In its final report, adopted with 23 votes in favour, 6 votes against, and 4 abstentions, Parliament’s Special Committee on the Housing Crisis emphasises that millions of Europeans face precarious living conditions due to the housing crisis and calls for EU legislation to address the viability and cost of building new housing.

Improving living standards

To ensure decent housing, MEPs want specific earmarks of the funds included in the Commission’s Affordable Housing Plan to improve the energy performance of the residential buildings and to combat energy poverty. All new dwellings should meet quality standards on insulation, energy-efficiency, and air quality, MEPs say.

To improve living standards in overcrowded cities, MEPs want the upcoming law on short term rentals to strike a balance between facilitating tourism and housing affordability to ensure the proliferation of short-term rentals does not threaten affordability in cities.

MEPs also want an adequate share of public…