By Edoardo Vezzoli
Housing in Contemporary Europe
In recent years, the current housing situation has emerged as one of the most pressing challenges across the European Union (EU). Exacerbated by the pandemic and the on-going cost-of-living crisis, housing affordability has indeed significantly worsened across EU Member States, becoming one of the most urgent concerns, if not the top one, for EU citizens. From Lisbon to Łódź, Europeans have begun taking to streets demanding concrete action.
Housing unaffordability’s impact is far-reaching. It leads to housing insecurity, problematic housing costs, and housing inadequacy, which in turn may bring about a wider set of serious social, economic, and political consequences. If left unaddressed, the housing crisis could put pressure on the EU’s democratic project. As this situation has intensified, housing has moved to the forefront of Brussels policy agenda, leading to the introduction of a new series of initiatives. This may open the door to involving citizens in innovative and meaningful ways when shaping a response to one of the most urgent policy challenges facing the EU.
But where should we begin?
The HOUS Committee
Among recent developments, in addition to the appointment of a new Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, and the proposal of a European Plan for Affordable Housing, the European Parliament has established the Special Committee on the Housing Crisis (HOUS). In parallel with the Commission’s ongoing preparation on the plan, HOUS has a 12-month mandate to analyse “the root causes of housing shortages, assessing the effectiveness of funding and EU rules, and identifying sustainable, affordable solutions”, as noted by an EPRS briefing.
To this end, the Committee has scheduled a range of activities, from field missions and conferences to public hearings, aiming “to engage with experts, stakeholders, and citizens to develop comprehensive policy recommendations that address both immediate challenges and long-term structural issues in the housing”, as stated by its Chair, MEP Tinagli. At the end of its term, HOUS will present a final report, which will support the Commission’s efforts to shape a response to Europe’s housing crisis.
A Citizens’ Panel?
The establishment of the HOUS Committee offers a valuable opportunity to the European Parliament: to further open the EU policy-making process to citizens, particularly its decision-making procedure. To achieve this, given the relevance and public salience of housing, the Committee may for example pilot a deliberative and participatory process such as the Citizens’ Panels (ECPs) alongside its activities.
Citizens’ Panels will be composed of randomly selected citizens from all EU Member States, with quotas to ensure representation of Europe’s socio-demographic diversity. Along with quotas specifically developed for the housing crisis (e.g., renters/owners, cities/towns and suburbs/rural areas, etc.), a youth quota, as the one employed by the Commission’s ECPs (which guarantees that one third of the participants should be between 16 and 25 years old) may be instrumental. This measure may help ensure that the voice s of one of the groups most negatively affected by the housing crisis are heard, while also safeguarding the representation of Europe’s future generations. The Panel may potentially deliberate on key housing issues and develop a set of policy recommendations on the latter to be annexed to the Committee’s final report. To expand the debate and allow wider input, it may be complemented by a platform as the Commission’s Citizens’ Engagement Platform.
An Isolated Event?
This proposal is not unprecedented. Rather, it builds on a “growing” trend towards greater citizen participation at the EU level, marked by the employment of various democratic innovations.
Following the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFE), the Commission has for instance institutionalised the European Citizens’ Panels, frequently convening them on several topics. Most recently, one focused on the Union’s long-term budget, where citizens deliberated on its priorities and the activities to implement to pursue the latter, and another one announced this June to develop concrete recommendations on the Commission’s Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness. Similarly, under the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Belgian citizens were brought together to discuss AI and its impact, ultimately articulating a European vision for the future of AI.
What’s the Potential?
A Citizens’ Panel on housing may provide several benefits. Firstly, it may respond to citizens’ growing demand for greater yet meaningful involvement in EU policymaking, as some public opinion polls and recent deliberations evidenced. This practice may potentially help tackle the former wide belief of having low influence on EU political decision-making, sending a strong signal that the EU is not only listening, but also willing to involve its citizens when shaping a response to one of its most pressing issues.
Secondly, if properly designed and implemented, the panel may potentially support the development of more inclusive, legitimate, and effective policies to address the housing crisis. It could help overcome institutional resistance to certain policy solutions that may be considered excessively challenging or politically sensitive by either key European or national actors.
Finally, this may serve as an important building block for institutional democratic renewal, laying the groundwork for new participatory practices within the EU, especially in the European Parliament. It may indeed set a precedent for better integrating citizen engagement in future decision-making processes.
Can We Afford Not to Imagine?
Europe’s path ahead is not easy at all. It is fraught with fundamental existing and future challenges. And, to face them, Europe requires innovation. Otherwise, it may struggle even more in such a challenging and contested landscape. Adapting and improving the EU democratic and governance model, particularly by increasing citizen participation, may prove instrumental. Yet, it is no silver bullet: much remains to be done across multiple dimensions.
Nonetheless, finding innovative and meaningful ways to bring EU citizens in shaping the responses may be potentially beneficial in addressing complex policy challenges such as the housing crisis. This, in turn, may better equip Europe to navigate this transformational yet complicated period and prepare for those yet to come. This process should not be confined to the European Commission, which has already taken some steps forward. The European Parliament could also act, building on the steps already taken, carrying forward the legacy of the CoFE. That is why the proposal outlined here is addressed to a parliamentary committee rather than the Commission.
Attaching a Citizens’ Panel to the work of a European Parliament Committee may seem unconventional. Yet, innovation requires not only will, but also imagination. Given what is at stake, we simply cannot afford not to imagine. Without it, we would not move forward. And Europe, as a bicycle, may fall over. Yet, the Union has already shown, time and again, that it can do so. Only a few years ago, the idea of randomly selected EU citizens deliberating in Brussels on complex policy matters would have sounded equally far-fetched. Now it is reality.
About the author
Edoardo Vezzoli is an Italian professional specialising in EU governance, policymaking and public participation, with a background built through studies in Italy, Belgium and the UK. He has experience in think tanks, public sector consultancies, politics and advocacy. He is also passionate about communicating EU affairs and citizen engagement.
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