On 25 September 2025 the Renew Europe Group in the European Committee of the Regions together with LYMEC and YDE (the youth wings of Renew Europe) proudly hosted the 2025 edition of the YELL Summit in Brussels, Belgium gathering young elected local leaders from across Europe to address one of the most urgent challenges facing this generation: the housing crisis.
The summit opened with remarks from Mayor of Ennis Clare Colleran Molloy, who highlighted the scale of the crisis. Housing demand continues to far exceed supply, with prices soaring in many regions. In Ireland, for example, she stated that housing costs have risen by more than 50% in the past five years, while rents have increased by over 100% since 2010. Clare emphasised that housing has become the number one political issue in her country, something that was echoed by many participants from other Member States.
Throughout the day, young leaders shared insights from their municipalities, illustrating both the housing challenges and the innovative solutions being tried at the local level. From infrastructure and regulatory barriers in large cities to the paradox of vacant housing in rural areas, participants described how in various ways the housing crisis across Europe is pushing young people away from homeownership and even affordable rental options. Yet they also showcased new approaches to solving the problem – such as the state renovation of unused public housing, cooperative housing schemes, and EU-supported funding mechanisms, which are offering hope and concrete ways forward. These exchanges made it clear that while the contexts differ, the struggle for housing is a shared European challenge, not least because it also impacts on labour mobility and therefore on the good functioning of the single market, thus requiring joint solutions, that often start at the local level.
The summit concluded with Renew Europe MEP Vlad Voiculescu, who gave his perspective as a member of the European Parliament during the session “A Home of Your Own: Reclaiming the Future for Europe’s Youth.” The exchange highlighted the urgency of the housing crisis but also the determination of young local leaders to act. As the voice of liberal and democrat subnational leaders in the EU, our Group aims to amplify these voices and champion innovative, local solutions at the European level, ensuring that the fight for affordable housing remains a priority for Europe’s political agenda.
For the full list of participants, click here.
For more information on our Group’s work on housing, click here.
