Affordable housing will be a primary focus for Cyprus as it prepares to assume the EU Presidency, according to Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou, who made the announcement at an Affordable Housing conference in Copenhagen.
Ioannou remarked, “Cyprus’ goal is to lay the foundations, so that we facilitate the adoption of a European affordable housing strategy, including sustainable housing policies and the incorporation of best practices, with an emphasis on affordable housing.” This initiative aims to address the pressing need for affordable living solutions across the continent.
The Minister highlighted that the EU needs to adopt more decisive measures to support member states in developing effective housing policies. During the conference, he engaged with Dutch Minister of Housing Mona Keijzer and French Minister Valerie Letard to discuss the collective housing challenges faced by the EU and the progress on the European roadmap for affordable housing.
According to Ioannou and his counterparts, bureaucratic hurdles have been a significant barrier to the effective implementation of housing policies across the EU. They underscored the necessity for a housing strategy that caters to the unique circumstances of each member state, emphasising the crucial role of governments in promoting collaboration between the public and private sectors.
Ioannou reiterated the importance of completing the housing plan, stating it would be among Cyprus’ key objectives during its presidency. This focus comes in light of alarming statistics: between 2010 and 2022, housing rents in the EU surged by an average of 18 per cent, while house prices skyrocketed by 47 per cent. Furthermore, a staggering 10.6 per cent of EU citizens were reported to live in households where over 40 per cent of disposable income was allocated to housing costs.
Recent figures from Eurostat indicate that Cyprus itself recorded a 2 per cent increase in house prices in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the previous year, with rents continuing to rise across the island. In contrast, EU property prices saw a year-on-year increase of 5.7 per cent, along with a 1.4 per cent rise from the previous quarter.
