On 10 May 2026, UIPI Secretary General was among the few stakeholders invited to address an informal ministerial meeting on housing, held in Nicosia under the Cyprus Presidency.
The gathering brought together ministers, state secretaries and senior ministerial officials from all 27 EU member states and EFTA countries, alongside the European Commissioner for Housing, the Chair of the relevant European Parliament committee, and high-level representatives from the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee. The meeting focused on how Europe can adopt a common approach to boost housing supply, investment and innovation.
Informal ministerial meetings on housing have historically taken place on an ad-hoc basis given the lack of EU competences in the field. Between 2013 and 2022, they stopped altogether, a near decade-long hiatus.
Their reactivation reflects a broader shift: housing has become a fully-fledged EU priority. What is still a national competence is now firmly on the European agenda, recognised as a critical driver of economic competitiveness and social cohesion.
UIPI was invited to contribute to the debate on investment. UIPI Secretary General made the case for mobilising private capital at scale — not only from institutional investors, but from millions of European citizens. She argued that capital follows confidence, and that restoring it requires acting on two fronts: supporting homeownership through proven tools tied to new supply, and strengthening the full rental ecosystem, including the millions of small private landlords who underpin Europe’s housing stock.
She also stressed a point too often overlooked in policy debates: private housing is not a cost. It generates tax revenue and drives social and economic activity.
UIPI’s presence at this high-level gathering reflects the growing recognition that private homeowners and landlords are not part of the problem — they are an essential part of the solution.
