In a statement, the EU executive said that a public consultation has been underway, from July 11th to October 17th, on the lack of affordable housing in European Union (EU) countries and that the idea is to present a strategy to address the problem in the first half of next year.

The announcement did not include specific ideas, only the intention to cover all areas of housing, from affordable to social housing, state support, construction and renovation, reallocation of properties, simplification of bureaucracy, and a focus on leasing. However, the information released by the European Commission lacks any data on housing.

Ursula von der Leyen's government is calling for the participation of citizens, investors, and national authorities in the public consultation, as the problem affects virtually the entire EU.

"Solving the housing crisis, which affects millions of European citizens, requires inclusive action [...]. If we want to ensure that all Europeans have an affordable, sustainable, and decent home, we need to work together at all levels," said Housing Commissioner Dan Jørgensen, quoted in the statement.

In early June, the European Commission recommended for the first time that Portugal provide a concrete response to address the country's housing crisis. Brussels pointed to the government's ineffectiveness in addressing this problem and recommended rent controls or the imposition of limits on local housing.

Regarding the objectives set out that would use the Recovery and Resilience Plan, the community executive pointed out that, of the 26,000 houses promised by 2026 by António Costa (PS) as head of the Government - a number that has since been increased by Luís Montenegro (PSD) to 33,000 by 2030 -, only 1,950 were delivered.