Update from Aodhán in Brussels - March 2025 - The Labour Party
Fiscal rules will be torn up to allow for billions more to be spent on arms, but what message does this send for people struggling to access affordable housing?
If the EU cannot be a vehicle for something as basic as ensuring children have a roof over their heads, then what exactly are we doing? Housing has traditionally been seen as a national competence but the idea that Europe plays no role is a myth and it can do much more.
In Ireland our housing crisis has left thousands of young people and families in despair. Much of this is due to domestic policy failures, but we cannot ignore the European dimension.
Dublin is awash with derelict buildings despite a worsening housing shortage. Recent figures show 14,500 dormant buildings in our city with over 6,600 empty homes – a scandal that has persisted for far too long. Vast numbers of properties remain vacant or underutilized, often held by speculative investors waiting for land values to rise.
Other European cities have tackled dereliction head-on. Berlin uses expropriation measures to bring vacant properties back into use. Barcelona imposes fines and compulsory leasing on landlords who leave properties empty for extended periods. Yet in Ireland, government inaction has allowed the problem to fester. The state has failed to ensure that vacant and derelict buildings help address our housing crisis. This is where European intervention could make a real difference. If cities across the EU face similar problems, then a coordinated effort to renovate these buildings is logical.
The argument that the EU lacks competency in housing policy falls apart when examining the reality of our broken system. Europe shapes economic and social conditions that directly impact housing. The EU provides substantial funding for housing initiatives. The ECB’s interest rates affect mortgage affordability and rental stability. Incomplete capital markets encourage speculation while limiting finance for construction. Short-term lease regulations won’t be unified until May 2026, delaying Ireland’s efforts to curb tourist accommodation. Environmental regulations also influence housing costs—new standards can drive up prices if not balanced with affordability measures.
Beyond these influences, the EU has taken steps in the area of social rights that intersect with housing. The European Pillar of Social Rights, now backed by a new five-year action plan of the Commission, recognises housing and assistance for the homeless as a fundamental right. The European Union also has sweeping competency in the area of consumer rights – led by our Irish Commissioner Michael McGrath. This could provide a real opportunity for progress.
EU consumer law has already taken steps to protect homeowners from predatory mortgage conditions under the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Directive. Courts in countries like the Netherlands have begun applying similar principles to rental agreements, recognising that tenants, like homeowners, deserve legal safeguards against unfair treatment.
That’s why I want tenant rights across Europe to be strengthened through EU consumer protections. A pan-European no-fault eviction ban—already the norm in many EU countries—could make a real difference on the security of tenure for renters in Europe, levelling the playing field.
The appointment for the first time ever of a dedicated Housing Commissioner, the Danish Social Democrat Dan Jorgensen, is a welcome statement of intent from the Commission. He has a clear mandate to develop an EU affordable housing plan – which must put those most marginalised in our society at its core. This means efforts to tackle homelessness, strengthen tenant rights, and ensure that financial regulations do not disproportionately benefit speculative investors at the expense of ordinary people.
Right now in Ireland there are nearly 5,000 children living in homelessness and hundreds of thousands more across our continent. This is an intolerable crisis.
The survival of the European Union is under threat—not just from external pressures like geopolitical instability, but also from internal disillusionment. Across the continent, we see growing frustration with European institutions, fuelled by a perception that the EU is disconnected from the everyday struggles of its citizens. While this has not yet become a dominant trend in Irish polling, it is only a matter of time before the housing crisis erodes public confidence in European cooperation.
The housing crisis is not just an Irish problem; it is a European problem. The European Parliament’s newly established Committee on Housing, of which I am a member, presents an opportunity to address these issues in a coordinated and impactful way. But for this to work, we need more than just discussion—we need action.
Ireland’s upcoming EU presidency should be an opportunity to champion stronger measures at the highest level to fight homelessness, curb speculation, mobilise vacant housing and ensure housing policy serves the public good, rather than private profit.
The EU cannot afford to treat housing as an afterthought. It cannot be side-lined to the increased focus on security and defence. If Europe is to maintain public trust, it must prove that it is capable of addressing the crises that matter most to its citizens. Housing must be at the heart of that effort.
– Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
Dublin MEP