EU commissioner says over one million people homeless in European Union

The European Union has pledged to combine immediate measures with long-term reforms to tackle what it describes as a deepening housing crisis across member states, where more than one million people are homeless, Dan Jørgensen, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, has stated.

Speaking via video message at a panel discussion titled “The Global Housing Crisis – What’s the Plan?” during the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in World Urban Forum 13, Jørgensen said housing should be treated as a matter of “human dignity and social justice,” Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

He noted that the issue goes beyond housing shortages, describing it as a broader social and economic crisis affecting cohesion, competitiveness and labour mobility across Europe.

“What we are facing is not just a housing problem; it is a full-fledged social crisis that is destroying social cohesion,” he said, warning that rising costs are also delaying life milestones for younger generations, including leaving the family home and starting families.

Jørgensen said there are more than one million homeless people in the European Union, including over 400,000 children, calling the figures “completely unacceptable”.

While housing policy primarily remains the responsibility of individual member states and local authorities, he said the EU has a duty to contribute meaningfully to solutions.

He highlighted the bloc’s first European Affordable Housing Plan, which aims to increase access to affordable homes and prioritise sustainability through energy-efficient construction and renovation.

According to Jørgensen, improving energy efficiency in housing not only supports environmental goals but can also reduce household costs.

The European Commission’s initiative comes amid growing concern in several EU countries over rising rents, limited housing supply and widening affordability gaps, particularly in major urban centres.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov