The European Affordable Housing Advisory Board, an independent expert body advising the European Commission, has just published 75 recommendations for the upcoming European Affordable Housing Plan — the first-ever EU-level housing strategy aimed at addressing Europe’s acute housing crisis. Advisory Board expert Ivana Katurić has detailed the recommendations that align with the EESC’s calls to stop treating housing as a commodity and to recognise affordable, decent homes as a fundamental right.

By Ivana Katurić

On 20 November, the European Affordable Housing Advisory Board published a report detailing its affordable housing policy recommendations for the European Commission. The Housing Advisory Board was established in June 2025 as an independent group of experts to provide recommendations for the Commission to take into account when preparing the European Affordable Housing Plan, which is scheduled to be presented before the end of this year.

The European Economic and Social Committee has worked intensively on affordable and sustainable housing in recent years, and the Board’s 75 recommendations – in areas such as housing inclusion, spatial planning and land management, environmental sustainability of housing, investment principles and multi-level governance – echo many of the priorities set by the EESC in its opinions and public hearings.

Both the Advisory Board and the EESC are calling for a paradigm shift in European housing policy, treating housing as essential social and economic infrastructure rather than a commodity, and recognising decent, affordable and accessible housing as a fundamental right.

A major shared concern is the need to address market failure in the housing sector. The Advisory Board recommends tax, investment and land policy measures to curb financialisation and speculation and to prioritise homes as places to live, not vehicles for investment. Both bodies also highlight the critical importance of securing accessible, affordable housing for vulnerable groups, including people experiencing homelessness, young people, low-income earners, and especially people with disabilities. The Board’s recommendation of promoting the Housing First approach across all Member States to end homelessness and earmarking EU funds for this purpose mirrors long-standing advocacy by the EESC for robust action to be taken on this issue.

In its recommendations on financing the expansion of the affordable housing stock, the Housing Advisory Board also aligns with the EESC in the its call for targeted investment approaches to be devised. It promotes the cost-rental model as a core pillar of the future housing system, with new homes primarily developed and managed by public, cooperative and other limited‑profit housing providers. Financing would combine grants with long-term financing from the EIB and other international financial institutions. It should be designed to crowd in patient private capital, whereby affordability would be safeguarded by requirements for capped returns, obligatory reinvestment into renovation and new supply, and clear eligibility criteria for the selection of tenants, which should include vulnerable groups.

Both the Advisory Board and the EESC are calling for the removal of fiscal barriers that currently discourage public investment in affordable housing. The Advisory Board recommends reforms to State aid rules that broaden eligibility beyond the narrowest income groups. The report also calls for clarity on balance sheet classification under ESA 2010 rules, proposing that housing providers with independent operations and financial sustainability not be counted toward public debt – a reform that would reduce disincentives for Member States to invest in long-term affordable housing.

As the European Commission prepares to present its first-ever European Affordable Housing Plan, the convergence between the Board’s report and EESC positions demonstrates that the path forward must be based on rights, participation and coordinated action at every level, with the voices of civil society and those most affected at the forefront.

Ivana Katurić is director of Urbanex, an independent Croatian think tank, research and consultancy organisation dedicated to sustainable urban development and spatial policy. She is also an associate professor at University of Rijeka. Ivana is a member of the Housing Advisory Board, appointed in June 2025 to advise the Commission on the European Affordable Housing Plan. The Advisory Board has 15 qualified members who are experts in the various relevant areas.