European housing policies increasingly exclude migrants, UN expert warns

European governments are increasingly implementing policies and using discourse that indirectly or directly excludes migrants and foreigners from accessing housing, according to a United Nations expert. Koldo Casla, the UN special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, highlighted concerning trends across several European nations.

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Europe is experiencing a deeply worrying nativist turn. A growing number of governments and political actors are fueling a toxic discourse that blames migrants for the lack of affordable housing.

Casla expressed alarm over a "deeply worrying nativist turn" in Europe, where political actors are promoting a "toxic discourse" that unfairly blames migrants for the lack of affordable housing. He has sent communications to four governments, including Spain, expressing concern over the application of the 'national priority' principle in regions like Andalusia, Aragon, Castilla y León, and Extremadura.

This principle, Casla stated, employs discriminatory language by portraying migrants as responsible for overburdening public services. He argued that such narratives, which link migration to housing scarcity, are part of a "repugnant policy aimed at creating divisions between communities" and do not reflect reality. The expert emphasized that housing affordability issues stem from factors such as speculation and insufficient public investment, not from the presence of migrants.

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This principle exudes discriminatory language, presenting migrants as the culprits behind the overload of public services.

Casla further pointed to policies in Belgium, particularly in Flanders, that impose institutional and behavioral requirements, including language proficiency and local ties, for housing access. In the United Kingdom, most migrants are excluded from state housing aid, while a new bill in Ireland introduces strict residency requirements for official assistance, potentially disadvantaging many households. The UN expert stressed that these exclusionary practices are not isolated incidents, noting that non-EU citizens are three times less likely to own homes and earn approximately 25% less than others.

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Far from being the cause of all evils, hard-working migrants sustain the public services that the vast majority of Europeans value.