INSULEUR has released its Position Paper on the European Commission’s Affordable Housing Act and the European Affordable Housing Plan, calling for the specific housing challenges of islands, remote territories and Outermost Regions to be fully reflected as the proposal enters the EU legislative process.
On 9 September 2026, the European Commission presented its proposal for an Affordable Housing Act (COM(2026) 599), establishing an EU framework to help Member States safeguard housing affordability and availability, particularly in areas experiencing significant housing pressure. The proposal is now proceeding through the ordinary legislative procedure involving the European Parliament and the Council.
For Europe’s islands, the housing crisis has a particularly strong territorial dimension. Limited land availability, higher construction and transport costs, tourism pressure, seasonal population fluctuations, second homes and the expansion of short-term rentals all place additional pressure on already constrained housing markets.
These pressures have consequences extending well beyond access to housing. The difficulty of securing affordable year-round accommodation increasingly affects essential workers, labour mobility, SMEs and the ability of island economies to attract and retain workers.
Through its Position Paper, INSULEUR welcomes the objectives of the Affordable Housing Act while calling for insularity, remoteness and Outermost Region status to be explicitly recognised when identifying areas under housing stress. INSULEUR also advocates stronger tools for island authorities to address short-term rentals, second homes and vacancy, dedicated housing solutions for essential workers, greater support for renovation and reuse of existing buildings, and improved housing data capacity for island municipalities.
As discussions on the proposal move forward at European level, INSULEUR calls on the European Parliament and the Council to ensure that the final framework recognises the structural realities of island territories and provides island authorities with flexible and proportionate tools to respond to local housing pressures.
INSULEUR will continue to contribute to the European debate, advocating for an affordable housing framework that supports island residents, workers, SMEs and the long-term economic and social resilience of Europe’s islands.
More information on the European Commission’s Affordable Housing Act:
European Commission – Affordable Housing Act
Read INSULEUR’s full Position Paper below⬇️