European Commission opens consultations on Housing, Social Rights and Poverty 

The European Commission has launched a series of public consultations to gather input for future EU policies concerning social housing, the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) Action Plan, and an EU Anti-Poverty Strategy. These initiatives aim to address pressing social challenges across the Union, from housing affordability to poverty reduction: 

• EPSR Action Plan: This initiative seeks to provide new impetus for a fairer and more inclusive Social Europe, updating the EU’s social blueprint. It aims to address persistent gaps in achieving the 2030 EU headline targets for employment, skills, and poverty reduction, particularly noting that while employment is close to its target, significant efforts are still needed for skills and poverty reduction. The plan will adapt to the rapidly evolving socio-economic and geopolitical context. The consultation deadline is 10 September 2025. 

• European Affordable Housing Plan: As the first-ever such plan, it seeks to provide EU solutions to the urgent housing crisis impacting millions of families and young people across the EU. Housing affordability has deteriorated, leading to critical shortages and increased costs that burden vulnerable populations and affect EU competitiveness. The plan aims to mobilize investment in housing supply, ease access to affordable housing, and remove obstacles to supply. The consultation deadline is 17 October 2025. 

• EU Anti-Poverty Strategy: This first-ever EU Anti-Poverty Strategy aims to create a framework for concerted action to address the systemic drivers and root causes of poverty. With, on average, over 20% of the EU population, and up to 25% of children, at risk of poverty or social exclusion, substantial efforts are still required to meet the 2030 target of reducing the people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by 15 million as compared to 2019. The strategy will aim to break the intergenerational transmission of poverty and mainstream poverty considerations across other policy areas. The consultation deadline is 24 October 2025. 

The Microfinance Centre (MFC), in collaboration with the European Microfinance Network (EMN), is actively preparing to submit joint feedbacks to these consultations, advocating for the vital role of microfinance in each of the above-mentioned field.  

***

@Photo by Guillaume Périgois on Unsplash