On 6 May 2026, the European Commission published a proposal for a Council Recommendation on fighting housing exclusion, as part of a broader Social Package which also includes the EU’s first-ever Anti-Poverty Strategy, a Communication on strengthening the European Child Guarantee, and a Communication on the rights of persons with disabilities.
ERGO Network warmly welcomes the proposal as a timely and useful EU initiative, particularly in the context of Europe’s ongoing housing crisis and its disproportionate impact on those most affected by poverty, exclusion, and discrimination. Roma across Europe continue to face entrenched housing exclusion, including segregation, informal settlements, unsafe and overcrowded dwellings, energy poverty, environmental hazards, lack of basic services, frequent forced evictions, and widespread antigypsyism, including from housing actors and social housing providers. We have long worked on the right of Roma to access adequate, affordable, quality, and desegregated housing, and have reviewed the current proposal through the lens of this work, including through our 2023 research report on Roma access to housing, and our recent response to the European Affordable Housing Plan.
=> Read ERGO Network’s full response to the draft Council Recommendation to fight housing exclusion here!
ERGO Network welcomes that Roma are explicitly mentioned in the proposal, alongside references to racialised communities, ethnic minorities, and discrimination in access to housing. We also appreciate the clear link made with the EU Roma Strategic Framework and its objective to ensure effective equal access to adequate, desegregated housing and essential services. However, while Roma are acknowledged in the introductory text and recitals as a group at particular risk of housing exclusion, this recognition is not translated into the operative provisions of the Recommendation. The text, therefore, lacks concrete, actionable measures specifically aimed at tackling Roma housing exclusion.
We particularly appreciate that discrimination is recognised as a barrier to accessing housing, and that Member States are encouraged to ensure equal treatment in access to adequate housing and essential services, prevent discriminatory practices, apply transparent criteria for social housing waiting lists, provide anti-bias training for housing professionals, and support tenants facing discrimination. However, antigypsyism itself is not named, although it is one of the root causes of Roma housing exclusion and shapes access to housing, utilities, services, and protection against eviction.
The proposal is also positive in its broad understanding of housing exclusion, going beyond rough sleeping to include insecure and inadequate housing, overcrowding, substandard dwellings, lack of basic facilities, and threats of eviction. We also welcome the focus on person-centred, housing-led and integrated policies, prevention, early-warning systems, eviction protection, family unity, and the recognition that administrative requirements such as proof of permanent residence can exclude people from assistance.
At the same time, important gaps remain. The proposal does not sufficiently address residential segregation, the regularisation and upgrading of informal settlements, environmental racism, or energy poverty. It also does not provide dedicated funding or earmarking for the most excluded communities, nor strong Roma-specific safeguards to ensure that EU and national funds do not reinforce segregation or low-quality housing solutions. While the references to civil society and people with lived experience are welcome, participation must be structured, resourced, and diverse, explicitly including Roma communities, Roma civil society, people living in informal settlements, families facing eviction, and those without a legal address.
Overall, ERGO Network welcomes the proposal for a Council Recommendation as a strong, timely, and useful EU instrument on housing exclusion. However, it will only deliver for Roma if it explicitly tackles antigypsyism, including segregation, informal settlements, forced evictions, and discrimination in housing, and if it ensures the meaningful participation of Roma communities and civil society in its implementation.
For more information on ERGO Network’s work on Roma access to housing and energy, please contact Senior Policy Adviser Amana Ferro – a.ferro@ergonetwork.org
