W Europe lacks housing or is besides expensive

Housing prices in the European Union have increased by more than 20% over the last decade, and in the last 5 years the number of building permits issued has fallen by more than 20%, according to the data provided by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in the State of the Union message. The housing crisis is increasingly affecting the full of Europe, including Poland. The EC is presently consulting the first always European plan for affordable housing. I want it ready this year.

According to Eurostat data, housing prices in the European Union increased on average by 55.4% between 2010 and 2012 and rental rents by 26.7%. In Poland, in 14 years the increase was 100-proc. Even higher rates were recorded by Hungary (more than 250 percent), Estonia (approximately 230 percent) or Lithuania (nearly 200 percent). The Central Statistical Office indicates that in the first 4th of 2025 housing prices in Poland increased by 13.2 percent year-on-year. In the EU, they were 5.7% higher than the erstwhile year.

"The European Union is specified a green island where everyone in the planet would like to get in, due to the fact that they are democratic countries, people live well compared to another places in the world, so housing prices, not only in Poland, but in many countries went up. Sometimes these prices are unrealistic, and for the first time, the European Union has not only appointed a Commissioner to address this problem, but besides Ursula von der Leyen is preparing a peculiar summit at which the main leaders are to consider what rules to introduce in Europe so that young people can live or buy at reasonable prices. – points out in an interview with Newseria Dariusz Joński, a Euro MP from the Civic Coalition.

The head of the EC stressed that this was not just a housing crisis, but a social crisis. It announced a consultation of the European affordable housing plan. This includes, among others, support for housing, speeding up the construction of fresh homes and dormitories and fresh provisions on short-term rental. Ursula von der Leyen indicated that the priorities would be discussed at the first EU Housing Summit.

– Each country has different regulations, different housing problems and somewhat different prices, so this will be a immense challenge. But I think that this needs to be taken care of, due to the fact that if we want young people to work here, to stay the best and not to choose the United States, China, India or another Asian countries, then we request to prepare for everyone to be here. This is simply a task for the European Commission and the European Parliament – convinces the Euro MP.

Many EU associate States, including Poland, face housing shortages, and the problem is not only about the number of premises, but besides about their method condition and financial availability. In Poland, according to various estimates, there is presently a shortage of 0.5 million to 2 million apartments. The problem is frequently quality and location. The sites are mostly missing in the largest agglomerations and their satellite towns. The housing crisis in Poland besides exacerbates the advanced cost of financing the acquisition of real estate. Interest rates are comparatively advanced against the background of Europe (4.75 percent).

“Inflation is 1 of the lowest in Europe, below 3%. With specified low inflation there is no request to keep specified advanced rates, and they have an impact on the cost of credit. So if we want to stimulate the marketplace and, on the another hand, reduce the considerable expenditure for people who take loans to buy an apartment, we request to lower the rates. – says Dariusz Joński.

The problem in Poland is besides the large number of property housing in relation to rental apartments. In 2024, more than 87 percent of the housing area was in the hands of individual owners and property cooperatives, while only 12.7 percent were rental housing. This property structure has been maintained for years. According to the Central Statistical Office, in the first half of 2025 only 517 municipal housing units (by 40% little than the erstwhile year) and 1.5 1000 social rental units (by 32% increase) were donated across the country, representing little than 3% of all fresh premises. For comparison, over 57 1000 improvement apartments were created for sale at the same time.

– Even if we lower the prices of credit that are very important, housing prices are 1 of the highest in Europe, so that is besides a immense challenge, what to do to lower them. The proposal to rent apartments is simply a certain solution, TBS besides – emphasises the Euro MP from the Civic Coalition. – This is not a simple topic, and no European country has done this on its own, so it might be worth trying to solve this problem together at European level.

This year's Eurobarometer survey shows that the deficiency of affordable housing is the biggest problem in the opinion of urban residents. 51 percent found it urgent and urgent. By comparison, in smaller towns and agrarian areas, this percent falls to 37 and 28 percent respectively. Respondents to the question of possible solutions to this problem pointed, among others, to the request to modernise existing housing resources, to enable, for example, by an incentive system, to build more fresh and affordable housing, to monitor rents and aid schemes in paying them.