The European Parliament's Special Committee on the Housing Crisis on 24 June 2026 held an exchange of views with Europol, the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), and member states on criminal activities affecting housing markets. Chair Irene Tinagli opened the session, stressing the need to understand how crime distorts housing markets.
Luděk Niedermayer (EPP, ECON Vice-Chair) highlighted money laundering in real estate as a major threat, noting the 2024 AML package strengthens controls on beneficial ownership and cash transactions. Alexander Resch (Europol) detailed how organized crime uses residential and commercial properties for drug labs, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, fraud call centers, and counterfeiting, and stressed that real estate agents and notaries must improve suspicious transaction reporting. Marius Bulancea (EPPO) presented cases of EU funds diverted from housing renovation (e.g., in Czechia, Bulgaria, Italy, France), and noted that criminal groups use real estate to launder proceeds, with one group owning 150 properties. He called for fraud-proofing housing policies, real estate transparency, and better data access for investigators. Alicia Homs Ginel (S&D) warned against deregulation without controls, arguing simplification risks enabling fraud. Georgiana Teodorescu (ECR) asked about legal measures to combat housing crime. Both Europol and EPPO supported the AML package but urged stronger enforcement and asset recovery.
The committee will continue examining criminal impacts on housing affordability.
The session highlighted a cleavage between those advocating stronger enforcement and transparency (Europol, EPPO, S&D) and those concerned about regulatory burden (ECR).
Positive impacts include better detection of money laundering and fraud, protecting EU taxpayers and housing markets.
Negative impacts include potential administrative burden on real estate professionals and notaries from enhanced reporting obligations. Affected stakeholders include EU citizens (housing affordability), national housing authorities, real estate professionals, and law enforcement agencies.