The European Commission has presented its 2027 work programme, in which it commits to proposing a housing simplification package. The initiative builds on the European Affordable Housing Plan and responds to the Commission’s own estimate that the EU needs more than two million homes a year to meet current demand.
On 4 November, the European Commission presented its 2027 work programme (COM(2026) 710 final), the document setting out the EU executive’s political roadmap for next year under the motto “European Union – standing up for one another”. Among the initiatives announced is a housing simplification package, a measure of particular interest to the construction sector.
The text addresses the issue in its chapter on supporting people and strengthening our societies and social model. There, the Commission states that tackling the housing crisis is not only an economic necessity, but also a way to remove a source of anxiety for many Europeans. On that basis, it announces that it will propose a housing simplification package aimed at increasing the supply of homes by cutting red tape and making it easier to carry out building and renovation works.
In 2027 the Commission will propose a package to increase housing supply by cutting red tape and easing building and renovation works.
Part of the European Affordable Housing Plan
The package does not start from scratch. According to the work programme itself, the initiative builds on the European Affordable Housing Plan, adopted by the Commission on 16 December 2025, and is one of its ten priorities. On its official simplification page, Brussels explains that it is looking for opportunities across all EU policy areas to simplify existing legislation, initiatives, processes and procedures in order to accelerate the supply of affordable, sustainable and quality homes, while respecting wider policy goals.
The starting point is quantitative. The Commission estimates that the EU will need more than two million homes per year to match current demand. As the EU executive explained last July, the package will look at ways to reduce unnecessary costs, delays and administrative burdens affecting housing supply and affordability.
The Commission estimates that the EU needs more than two million homes a year to meet current demand.
A consultation open to the sector until September
To prepare the proposal, the Commission launched a call for evidence on the Have Your Say portal, open until 30 September 2026. It sought input on three fronts: concrete examples of administrative burdens, distinguishing the effects of EU legislation from those of national implementation, and practical suggestions for simplification. In parallel, it is holding an expert consultation with Member States and other stakeholders, which began in spring and will continue for the rest of the year.
Among the organisations that took part is the European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC), which in its response called for binding deadlines for authorities, a one-stop shop and a shared digital portal to speed up permits, as well as identifying which requirements stem from EU law and which are added at national level.
Faster permits and the fight against gold-plating
The housing package is part of a broader simplification strategy. In its competitiveness chapter, the work programme announces further measures to accelerate permitting, especially for projects in the EU’s strategic interest, and says it will address regulatory simplification opportunities in the transport, housing and digital areas.
The Commission also commits to working towards a Pact against gold-plating, the practice of adding national requirements on top of those set by EU directives when transposing them, with a “review and remove” mechanism within the European Semester. Since the start of its mandate, the EU executive has proposed 12 Omnibus packages and other simplification measures which, once fully implemented, could save EUR 22.3 billion in recurrent administrative costs per year.
Since the start of its mandate, the Commission has proposed 12 Omnibus packages that could save EUR 22.3 billion a year in administrative costs.
Other initiatives affecting the built environment
The work programme includes other proposals relevant to the sector. These include exploring a clean heat market mechanism to support the deployment of heat pumps and reduce up-front costs for households; a European Water Initiative; an integrated European Heatwave Plan; and the review of the nature protection Directives, to assess whether the legal framework needs changes so it can work in a simpler way. It also includes a strategy on the right to stay, intended to help Europeans build a future in the place they call home, with attention to regions facing economic decline and population loss.