Housing crisis among Europe’s most severe says EU committee chair
European Parliament delegation questions Ireland’s use of EU housing funding as affordability pressures deepen
29 May 2026 | 📧 editor@ipropertyradio.com
Ireland’s housing crisis is among the most complex and severe in Europe, according to the chair of the European Parliament’s Special Committee on the Housing Crisis in the EU, who has questioned whether the State has fully utilised available European funding to tackle the problem.
Speaking at the conclusion of a three-day fact-finding mission to Dublin, committee chair Irene Tinagli said Ireland had not leveraged all of the European Union instruments available to support investment in social and affordable housing. Her comments come as housing affordability, homelessness and rental costs continue to dominate public concern across the country.
The delegation of nine MEPs visited Ireland between 26 and 28 May to examine housing affordability, availability and the effectiveness of policy responses. Meetings included discussions with Housing Minister James Browne, housing charities Focus Ireland and the Iveagh Trust, as well as visits to housing projects and the Cherrywood development in Dublin.
In comments reported by Virgin Media News, Ms Tinagli said the European Union had made significant financial resources available to member states through mechanisms including the Recovery and Resilience Facility, Cohesion Funds and the Social Fund, but suggested Ireland could do more to access and deploy these supports.
“Ireland hasn’t been capable in these years to leverage all the European Union instruments,” she said, noting that the EU had committed more than €43 billion through various funding programmes in recent years to support housing and related investment.
Virgin Media News correspondent Richard Chambers reported that members of the delegation expressed surprise at the scale of Ireland’s affordability challenges, including high house prices, elevated rents and levels of homelessness. According to the report, committee members also struggled to understand why housing delivery in a relatively small country continues to be constrained by high construction costs and lengthy planning processes.
The European Parliament delegation identified a range of factors contributing to the housing crisis, including evictions, the role of institutional investors, short-term lettings and broader structural barriers affecting housing supply. The committee also examined how the affordability gap is preventing key workers from living in urban centres.
The findings come against a backdrop of continuing house price growth. According to the Central Statistics Office, residential property prices nationally were 6.8% higher in February 2026 than a year earlier. Outside Dublin, prices increased by 7.8%, while Dublin prices rose by 5.6%. The median price of a home purchased during the twelve months to February 2026 reached €390,000.
The delegation also heard evidence on housing insecurity and homelessness during meetings with service providers. Speaking to Virgin Media News, Ms Tinagli highlighted cases where people pursuing higher education had found themselves facing housing instability due to a lack of integrated support services.
The visit carries additional significance as Ireland prepares to assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from July to December 2026. Housing has emerged as a growing priority at EU level, with the European Parliament establishing its Special Committee on the Housing Crisis to examine affordability challenges, investment needs and policy solutions across member states.
While acknowledging the scale of Ireland’s housing challenge, Ms Tinagli urged people affected by the crisis to continue making their voices heard, arguing that policymakers need greater engagement with those experiencing the consequences of housing shortages and affordability pressures first-hand.
