On 1 July 2026, the European Parliament voted to extend the term of its special committee on the Housing Crisis by six months and to give it new monitoring and policy tasks. The decision, tabled as a motion for a decision, affects EU citizens and member states struggling with unaffordable housing by intensifying parliamentary oversight of EU housing policy.
The special committee’s term is extended to monitor solutions proposed in Parliament’s resolution of 10 March 2026 on decent, sustainable and affordable housing. New responsibilities include monitoring the Commission’s response to that resolution; mapping housing policies across EU, national, regional and local levels; identifying priorities for EU housing legislation; and contributing to the Commission’s 2027 housing simplification procedure. The committee will coordinate with the Commission on best practices for legal certainty for property owners and tenants, assess barriers in the construction sector, and hold regular meetings with the European Investment Bank to monitor the Pan-European Investment Platform for affordable and sustainable housing (digital portal, expert group, national hubs planned for the third trimester of 2026). It will also analyse abusive financialisation and speculation, short-term rental impacts, and the adequacy of cost-of-living indicators; map EU and national resources for affordable housing and homelessness eradication; and contribute to multiannual financial framework discussions to secure dedicated housing investment. The committee must present conclusions at the end of its extended term.
The extension expands the committee’s role from a fact-finding body to an active monitoring and policy-shaping entity. This shift benefits EU citizens facing housing affordability pressures by maintaining parliamentary pressure on the Commission and member states. However, it also imposes additional administrative burdens on the committee and its secretariat, and may delay other legislative work. For the European Commission, the committee’s enhanced monitoring role could increase pressure to deliver on housing commitments, while member states may face closer scrutiny of their national housing policies. The construction sector and property owners stand to gain from the committee’s focus on legal certainty and barriers to construction, but could face tighter regulation on short-term rentals and financial speculation. The decision now takes effect immediately, with the committee expected to present its conclusions by early 2027.