Brussels, October 3, 2025 — The European Commission (EC) has launched a public consultation on proposed revisions to EU state aid rules aimed at helping member states improve access to affordable housing.
The update, which amends the Services of General Economic Interest (SGEI) Decision, seeks to enable governments to support housing affordability beyond traditional social housing through a simpler and faster framework.
Under the proposed revision, member states would be able to grant state aid for affordable housing without prior notification to the EC. A new SGEI category would define affordable housing as that provided to “households who are not able, due to market outcomes and notably market failures, to access housing at affordable conditions.”
The revised SGEI would include specific conditions to ensure transparency, proportionality, and accountability in State aid measures. It also aims to give member states greater subsidiarity to tailor housing interventions to their own market conditions.
The revision introduces sectoral updates beyond housing, covering critical medicines, aviation, and maritime transport, with the goal of simplifying and modernising existing state aid procedures.
The current proposal builds on earlier consultations held in June and July 2025, which drew over 260 responses across two separate feedback rounds. Interested parties can submit comments until 4 November via the DG Competition website.
Source: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_2266
