Brussels, 19 July 2024 – Build Europe, the association representing European developers and homebuilders, welcomes the re-election of Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission and her announcement of the appointment of the first-ever Commissioner for Housing. This significant development for housing policy across the European Union reflects the urgent need to address critical issues in the sector, including the rising cost of homes and the scarcity of affordable housing options. 

Build Europe was pleased that President von der Leyen, in her recent speech to the European Parliament, highlighted housing as a key priority for her next term. Acknowledging the importance of housing for EU citizens and the impact of escalating housing prices on their lives across Europe is crucial for developing innovative measures to boost both public and private investment in the housing sector and ensure access to decent housing at affordable cost for all European individuals and families. 

Andreas Ibel, President of Build Europe, said: “Build Europe has long advocated for a dedicated Commissioner responsible for Housing. Today, the nomination of a housing commissioner is the right decision, but far too late. Better now than never, though. The nomination is a wise choice, but now the Commissioner will need a budget and competence to solve the European housing crisis. We will be happy to help him providing him with our expertise and proposals”. 

Filiep Loosveldt, Managing Director of Build Europe, declared: “Our members, the European developers and homebuilders, look forward to working with the new Commissioner for Housing to tackle the housing crisis. To find effective solutions, however, it is essential for the EU to listen to the housing professionals who understand the root causes of the housing affordability crisis better than anyone else, thanks to their direct experience in the field. We are confident that the new Commissioner will be an important ally in increasing the housing supply across the EU and ensuring that all Europeans can access decent housing that meets their needs”. 

About Build Europe

Build Europe is the organisation representing in the European Union the national federations of developers and homebuilders of 18 states.

Build Europe considers accessibility to decent affordable housing solutions that meet the European citizens’ needs and expectations to be one of the main challenges that needs to be addressed by the European institutions. For this reason, Build Europe believes that the EU, Member States, and other European nations must ensure that the EU’s environmental objectives do not further exacerbate the current housing affordability crisis.

In 2019, in view of the European elections, Build Europe published a Manifesto on the housing crisis,  with the ambition to provide the European institutions with a set of practical and feasible  solutions. In 2020, we also provided the European Commission with “Housing: A European Challenge”, an action plan developed on the basis of the lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic, aimed at  relaunching the European economy while still addressing the housing affordability crisis  in a time where house was at the center of EU families’ concerns. In 2022, Build Europe also published “No Net Land Take by 2050 – Solving the Unsolvable“,  a booklet designed to help policy makers pursue a policy of land preservation while  protecting European citizens from rising housing costs, and a comic book designed to explain in a simple way the structural reasons behind the phenomenon of unaffordable housing.

In 2024, Build Europe published its new Manifesto on housing affordability.

Build Europe’s Members include:

  • Belgium: Union Professionnelle du Secteur Immobilier – Beroepsvereniging van de Vastgoedsector (UPSI-BVS) ;
  • Bulgaria: Камара на строителите в България (КСБ);
  • Bulgaria: Glavbolgarstroy (GBS) ;
  • Czechia: WeDevelop
  • France: Fédération des Promoteurs Immobiliers de France (FPI);
  • France: Pôle Habitat FFB;
  • France: Union Nationale des Aménageurs (UNAM);
  • Germany: Bundesverband Freier Immobilien-und Wohnungsunternehmen (BFW);
  • Ireland: Irish Home Builders Association (IHBA);
  • Luxembourg: Chambre Immobilière du Grand-Duché du Luxembourg (CIGDL);
  • Malta: Malta Developers Association (MDA);
  • Moldova: Federatia Patronatului CPMC Moldova
  • Monaco: Syndicat des Promoteurs Immobiliers;
  • Netherlands: NEPROM;
  • Norway: Boligprodusentenes Forening (NHBA);
  • Poland: Polski Zwiazek Firm Deweloperskich (PZFD);
  • Portugal: Associação Portuguesa de Promotores e Investidores Imobiliários (APPII);
  • Romania: Patronatul Societatilordin Constructii (PSC);
  • Spain: Asociación de Promotores Constructores de España (APCEspaña);
  • Ukraine: Ukrainian Real Estate Club (URE Club); and
  • United Kingdom: Home Builders Federation (HBF).

Press contact:

Build Europe – info@buildeurope.net