The European Commission has recently concluded a public consultation in the framework of the initiative for a Council Recommendation on fighting housing exclusion, an important policy development linked to the implementation of the European Affordable Housing Plan. The consultation aimed to collect evidence and stakeholders’ views to inform the drafting of the forthcoming Recommendation, expected in Q2 2026.
Through this consultation, the Commission sought to identify gaps in existing policy responses and to define common approaches to prevent housing exclusion, tackle homelessness, and improve living conditions for people facing the most acute forms of housing deprivation.
Relevance for Roma communities and the most excluded housing situations
The forthcoming Council Recommendation on fighting housing exclusion is particularly relevant for Roma communities, who are overrepresented in the most severely excluded housing contexts across the EU. Many Roma families live in segregated settlements, substandard housing or informal neighbourhoods, often lacking access to basic services and facing multiple forms of social and spatial exclusion. A high proportion of Roma children grow up in these conditions, which directly affects their health, education and life opportunities, and reinforces intergenerational cycles of poverty and exclusion.
While housing exclusion is increasingly recognised as a major social challenge at EU level, the most extreme and structurally disadvantaged situations (such as segregated settlements and slums) risk remaining insufficiently addressed unless they are explicitly prioritised. In this context, the new Recommendation represents a crucial opportunity to acknowledge and tackle the most severe housing inequities, in coherence with existing EU commitments on Roma equality, inclusion and participation and on child poverty under the European Child Guarantee.
EURoma’s contribution
In this context, EURoma Network has submitted a contribution to the consultation, calling for the forthcoming Council Recommendation to explicitly address the most excluded housing situations, including segregated settlements and substandard housing where many Roma live.
EURoma stresses that the Recommendation should clearly recognise Roma as a priority group, given their disproportionate exposure to inadequate housing and spatial segregation. It calls for housing policies that uphold the right to non‑segregated housing, prevent the creation or perpetuation of poverty pockets, and set the eradication of segregated settlements and slums as a priority objective at EU level.
The contribution also underlines the importance of integrated and cross‑sectoral approaches, combining rehousing solutions with tailored social support and access to education, employment, health and social services. EURoma highlights the need for a coordinated use of EU funds, notably ERDF and ESF+, supported by strong monitoring and anti‑discrimination safeguards, to ensure that investments effectively reach the most deprived contexts.
Through this contribution, EURoma reiterates its commitment to ensuring that the future Council Recommendation on fighting housing exclusion contributes in a tangible way to improving living conditions, protecting fundamental rights and advancing social inclusion for Roma communities across the European Union.
The full text of the EURoma contribution to the Council Recommendation on Housing Exclusion can be found here.
Further information:
- The European Commission presents the European Affordable Housing Plan with guidance for Member States on financing instruments and structural reforms
- EURoma calls for the EU Affordable Housing Plan to address the most excluded housing situations
