FERPA met with Ms Irene Tinagli, Chair of the European Parliament’s Special Committee on the Housing Crisis in the European Union

On 11 December 2025, the FERPA Secretariat met with Ms Irene Tinagli (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament) in her capacity as Chair of the European Parliament’s Special Committee on the Housing Crisis in the European Union.

Secretary General Agostino Siciliano expressed his concern about the housing crisis, which particularly affects pensioners, retirees and the elderly, who represent 25% of the European Union’s population.

“What problems do they face? Whether they are homeowners or tenants, they too often live in housing that needs to be adapted to their situation. This does not always require major work, but all rooms are affected: bathrooms, kitchens, bedrooms, staircases, as these homes often do not have lifts. Given their age, these homes are often poorly insulated, acting as veritable ‘heat sieves’ and even breeding grounds for infections, particularly due to damp caused by inadequate protection against water infiltration. There are millions of old dwellings, often inhabited by elderly people, and the rate of renewal of new dwellings is barely above 1%. The challenge of being able to live in or access decent and affordable housing requires financial resources, i.e. specific assistance to adapt existing dwellings. However, a genuine housing policy that aims to be and must be effective requires land-use planning and a housing policy that takes older people into account, promotes intergenerational diversity and does not create ghettos of older people or people in precarious situations on the outskirts of cities, without adequate transport links and far from essential shops or health services.