Across borders, a shared conversation on affordable housing 

Thirteen days after the European Commission presented its Affordable Housing Act, Re-Imagine Europa convened the first MultiPoD Policy Assembly to discuss the proposal with citizens, policymakers and housing practitioners. In total, nearly 200 participants from 20 EU member states engaged in the conversation, including more than 140 policymakers from all levels of public administration, as well as representatives of civil society and citizens. 

Housing affordability has become an urgent challenge across Europe, affecting millions of citizens and with consequences for social cohesion, economic security and equal opportunity. Over the past decade, house prices have increased by more than 60% and rents by more than 20%. At the same time, 51% of people living in European cities consider housing an immediate and urgent problem where they live. In response to rising rents, mortgage pressures and market dynamics, EU institutions have begun to explore coordinated strategies and citizen engagement initiatives, and fair and accessible housing is now a key priority closely linked to social inclusion, sustainable urban development and citizens’ well-being. The Commission’s new proposal, presented only two weeks earlier, placed this debate at the centre of current European policymaking. 

As part of its work on digital democracy within the Horizon Europe project MultiPoD, Re-Imagine Europa led the online Policy Assembly Multicultural and multilingual e‑democracy at work: A multistakeholder debate on Housing Affordability in Europe. MultiPoD aims to help citizens of different languages and backgrounds take part in European political debates, particularly those who are most affected by policy decisions but rarely involved in shaping them. The Assembly followed this approach, inviting participants to share their experiences and discuss how their priorities could inform housing policy at European and local level. 

Moderated by Erika Staël von Holstein, Chief Executive of Re-Imagine Europa, the debate brought together a high level panel featuring Lars Svensmark, Communications Representative of the Housing Task Force at DG Energy, European Commission; Michaela Kauer, Director of the Brussels Office of the City of Vienna; Anne Andersson, Managing Director of the Stockholm Region EU Office; and Laia Segura Cueto, Head of the Representation of Barcelona City Council to the EU. 

From citizen concerns to European policymaking 

The conversation built on the previous MultiPoD Citizens’ Assembly, where participants identified five priorities that served as a starting point for the discussion: bringing vacant buildings back into use; diversifying housing models and strengthening rent protections; linking housing with social inclusion; expanding social housing; and reinvesting tourism revenues in local communities. 

Lars Svensmark, Communications Representative of the Housing Task Force at DG Energy of the European Commission, presented the recently proposed Affordable Housing Act and discussed the EU’s role in addressing housing pressures. While housing remains primarily a national, regional and local responsibility, the proposal aims to support authorities facing housing stress, including through measures related to short-term accommodation and increasing affordable and social housing supply. Svensmark also stressed that the proposal is not a “silver bullet”, with the wider European Affordable Housing Plan addressing investment, supply, reforms and support for those most affected. 

Learning from different cities: 

The discussion then moved to three urban and regional perspectives. 

• Michaela Kauer, Director of the Brussels Office of the City of Vienna, presented Vienna’s long-standing approach to social and affordable housing, highlighting the importance of long-term governance, stable financing and public intervention. She also pointed to the wider pressures of financialisation, gentrification and touristification. 

• From Stockholm, Anne Andersson, Managing Director of the Stockholm Region EU Office, connected housing affordability with jobs, competitiveness and the functioning of cities, highlighting the links between housing, infrastructure, transport and labour-market policies. 

• Laia Segura Cueto, Head of the Representation of Barcelona City Council to the EU, focused on housing and tourism. Barcelona is regulating tourist accommodation and plans not to renew tourist-apartment licences by 2028, while also investing in new and existing housing, public land and housing cooperatives. 

Despite their different approaches, the three perspectives highlighted the importance of long-term investment, public action and solutions adapted to local realities. 

Technology at the service of participation 

The Assembly also explored new ways of connecting citizens with European policymaking. MultiPoD live translation and transcription technology made possible for participants to contribute and follow the discussion in their own language, with ten languages used throughout the event. Over the course of the debate, hundreds of reactions were shared, allowing participants to respond as the conversation unfolded and helping organisers identify emerging themes in real time.  

The Assembly was therefore not only a discussion about housing, but also a first step in making European policy debates more multilingual, inclusive and connected to citizen participation. Through tools including Decidim, Democratic Reflection and the Weblyzard Analytics Dashboard, MultiPoD is exploring how citizen contributions can feed into different stages of the policy process, from deliberation and recommendations to priority-setting and policy monitoring. 

For Re-Imagine Europa, the Assembly reflects its long-standing commitment to bringing together citizens, policymakers and experts to find shared solutions to the most pressing challenges facing Europe. The diversity of European experiences is one of the strengths of European democracy, and effective housing policy depends on approaches adapted to each local context. Bringing these perspectives into dialogue allows for a richer understanding of the challenge than any single European model could offer. The outcomes of the debate will feed into the next stages of MultiPoD, contributing to policy recommendations that connect citizen priorities with decision making at European and local level.