Europe's housing crisis has escalated to an "emergency", as young people in many member states find it impossible to buy or even rent a home, European Commissioner for Housing Dan Jørgensen has told Euronews, adding that Brussels is taking the situation "extremely seriously".
Housing rental and purchase costs have become increasingly unaffordable across the bloc. European Commission data shows property prices across the EU have skyrocketed by roughly 60% over the past decade, while in the same period, average rents rose by over 20%.
"Prices in many cities in Europe are way too high," Jørgensen told Euronews' flagship morning programme, Europe Today. "We see normal people with normal jobs unable to find a place to live, being crowded out of the cities where they serve as police officers, nurses and teachers and so on. So this is totally unacceptable, and we need to act."
He added that the EU, despite not holding any direct competence or legislative power over housing, is ready to act.
"It's also important from the European Union's side [...] to acknowledge that this is also a European problem. So we need to provide solutions from Brussels," he explained.
