Adopting a rights-based approach to affordable and energy-efficient housing in the EU

Buildings are responsible for 34% of energy-related greenhouse emissions in the EU, but 75% of all buildings are not energy-efficient. This underlines the key role housing energy policies can play in tackling climate change. But as house prices have risen by 48% in less than 10 years, quality energy-efficient housing is becoming less affordable for medium- and low-income households.

The report 'Fundamental rights and housing in the EU's climate and energy transition' explores the fundamental rights implications, challenges, gaps, and promising practices when it comes to tackling energy poverty and energy efficiency in housing. It recommends:

• Equal access to renovations: housing renovation measures often rely on purely technical eligibility rules, digital-only procedures or unaffordable co-financing requirements. This inadvertently excludes vulnerable groups, such as low-income households, older people, people with disabilities, those in informal housing and people with low digital or literacy skills. EU Member States should provide targeted outreach and financial support to enable equal access to energy renovations.
• Stronger safeguards for those in need: efforts to tackle energy poverty and to renovate housing often fail to address the specific needs of low-income households, single parents, or people with disabilities or health issues. National authorities should identify the needs of vulnerable people and take targeted action to address them.
• Protect tenants' rights: Over 30% of people in the EU rent property. Many of them are on low incomes and often live in the least energy-efficient housing. Yet, tenants are largely excluded from energy renovation programmes because they typically target landlords. Tenants often bear the costs for renovations by paying higher rents or they face evictions when renovations occur. Member States should protect the rights of tenants and make programmes available to those living in social housing.
• Consider the needs of people in deprived housing: people living in precarious or informal housing, like Roma settlements, are excluded from renovation programmes and often lack access to energy and electricity. The EU and Member States should address this in anti-poverty and affordable housing measures.
• Integrating fundamental rights into plans: fundamental rights are rarely considered in national energy and climate plans. Future EU energy and climate rules should require Member States to consider fundamental rights risks and impacts in their national plans.
• Improve stakeholder engagement: by law, national authorities must consult stakeholders when developing relevant climate and energy policies. In practice, this rarely happens when monitoring or evaluating programmes. Member States should ensure meaningful engagement with relevant stakeholders when designing and implementing policies and show how their input is used.
• Better access to justice: all Member States have channels for people to complain about issues concerning energy renovations such as inflated costs, poor quality work or excess rent. However, difficulties arise in practice due to the lack of information or clarity about the process. Member States should create independent, transparent and accessible complaints mechanisms.
• Monitor and collect data: there is no comprehensive EU monitoring framework to evaluate the fundamental rights impact of climate and energy policies. The EU and Member States need to measure the impact of their policies.

The report draws on fieldwork from 10 countries (Belgium, Czechia, Estonia, Germany, Greece, France, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden) as well as desk research across all EU countries and Albania, North Macedonia, and Serbia.

Quote from FRA Director Sirpa Rautio:

"Governments need to tackle climate change and energy poverty. Cleaner energy and energy-efficiency in housing can help EU Member States to meet climate goals. But in doing so, governments must also implement their fundamental rights obligations, ensuring those in need are not left behind. Every effort should be made to protect the right to adequate housing, and the right to social security and housing assistance."

For more, please contact: [email protected] / Tel.: +43 1 580 30 642