Resource context
This POLITICO article “How do you stop the rise of the far right? Build houses” is published by Politico and written by Aitor Hernández-Morales, Jacopo Barigazzi, Barbara Moens and Giovanna Coi. It examines how Europe’s housing affordability crisis is translating into social unrest and political polarization, and how far-right actors are using housing pressures to amplify anti-immigration narratives.
Scale of the housing affordability problem
Across the EU, the article reports that average rents rose by 19% over the past decade, while house prices increased by 47%. It highlights that affordability stress is not confined to low-income households: even in Germany, around one in five households is said to spend 40% of disposable income on housing. The story uses Dublin as a concrete example of tight markets, where a lack of affordable supply has coincided with strong population growth.
Dublin as a case study of supply shortages
In Dublin, the article states that residential rents have more than doubled since 2013. A Dublin-based florist, Tomas Santillan, describes “flat hunting” as a second unpaid job, including viewings with dozens of competitors and pressure to pay deposits immediately. The narrative also describes deteriorating quality and overcrowding, including people paying high rents for rooms shared with multiple people and cases of shared beds.
Protests and social tension across European cities
The article links rising costs and scarcity to protests and demonstrations in multiple cities, citing recent mobilizations in Lisbon, Amsterdam and Milan. It notes that anger over housing has become a visible political issue, creating openings for actors who frame housing allocation and migration as linked, even where housing systems restrict access to legal residents.
“Mismanagement, not foreigners” as a central argument
A key claim in the article is that blaming migrants for shortages obscures longer-term policy choices. Sorcha Edwards, secretary-general of Housing Europe, is quoted arguing that undocumented immigrants are not driving private housing prices and that public housing in EU countries typically requires legal residency. The article attributes shortages to a decades-long retreat by public authorities from building affordable homes, with responsibilities shifted to private real estate and construction markets.
Housing as an election issue and mainstream party strategy
The article reports that EU mainstream parties are attempting to “reclaim” housing as a political priority ahead of European Parliament elections, partly to counter anticipated gains by right-wing and Euroskeptic parties. It describes how some politicians see housing as a way to mobilize moderate and middle-class voters, while migration debates can intensify polarization and benefit far-right groupings.
EU-level initiatives and calls for a “Housing Deal”
While housing is described as not being an EU competence, the article outlines proposals for stronger coordination and investment. It references two manifestos presented as elevating housing on the EU agenda: the Brussels Declaration and the Housing Europe Manifesto, backed by mayors and political figures. It highlights waiting lists for social housing (including a cited figure of 50,000 people in Brussels) and argues the crisis is increasingly affecting middle-class and essential workers.
Funding, renovation, and market regulation proposals
The article emphasizes the scale of funding being discussed, comparing needs to major EU crisis responses and pointing to Next Generation EU-style investment as a model for building public housing and supporting energy-efficient renovations. It also connects affordability to climate policy, arguing that required “green renovations” risk increasing inequality if costs are not managed. Proposed measures include an EU housing task force led by a Commission vice-president, plus new rules to curb speculative investment and strengthen transparency in real-estate ownership and transactions.
A pan-European crisis with local drivers
The article concludes that the housing crisis is widespread across the Union, but shaped by local conditions, meaning drivers of price and rent increases vary between countries. It warns that without more decisive action, trust in EU institutions may erode as everyday living costs and housing insecurity continue to intensify political discontent.