MEP for Offaly urges EU housing committee to shift focus to delivery

SPEAKING recently at a joint hearing of the HOUS and Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) Committees, MEP BarryCowen said the EU must now use its legislative and financial levers to boost delivery, not just debate policy.

The hearing, which focused on housing rights, tenant protections and homelessness, brought together MEPs and housing experts from across the EU. MEP Cowen, who serves on the HOUS Committee, welcomed the discussion but stressed the need to turn institutional recognition of the housing emergency into actionable outcomes.

The Fianna Fáil MEP pointed to the limitations of current EU fiscal rules, which treat Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in countries such as Ireland as public entities and count their borrowing against Member State debt levels. He argued that removing AHBs from national balance sheets would significantly expand delivery capacity, not just in Ireland but across multiple Member States.

The Midlands North-West MEP noted that the EU’s upcoming reforms to State Aid rules, as part of the European Affordable Housing Initiative, offer a rare chance to reframe how Europe supports housing investment. He also urged the European Parliament to focus on financial and regulatory tools that fall within its remit, including competition policy, access to finance and investment facilitation.

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In response to MEP Cowen’s contribution, the European Commission confirmed that reform of EU State Aid rules is one of a number of areas firmly on its agenda to support housing delivery in Member States.

Speaking after his speech, MEP Cowen said: “We all recognise the housing pressures that exist in every Member State. But recognition alone is not enough. The European Parliament’s new housing committee must be more than a forum for diagnosis – it must be a driver of delivery.”

“EU rules can either enable or obstruct housing progress. In Ireland, the current classification of AHBs under fiscal rules is capping what can be built. Taking these bodies off the balance sheet would unlock thousands of homes. The same is true elsewhere.”

“The real question is where can Europe make the greatest difference. That means using the tools within our control - EU State Aid and fiscal rules, as well as financing channels – to support Member States in scaling up supply.”

“In the years ahead, our work will be judged not by how many hearings we held, but by how many homes were delivered. I want us to be able to say we helped solve Europe’s housing crisis – not just talked about it.”

Full video of MEP Cowen’s comments: https://x.com/CowenBarry/status/1937849350115172405

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