The European Council of Civil Engineers (ECCE) and the European Council of Engineers Chambers (ECEC) are pleased to announce the publication of their joint policy paper:
"A European Engineering Vision for Affordable, Safe and Sustainable Housing" (December 2025).

At a time when Europe faces a growing shortage of affordable and adequate housing, this joint paper underscores the urgent need to treat housing as a fundamental public good and a cornerstone of social cohesion, economic stability, public safety, and long-term resilience.

Drawing on the technical expertise of engineers, architects and urban planners, the paper offers a comprehensive, engineering-driven contribution to European and national housing strategies, including affordability, urban regeneration, climate adaptation and sustainability.

The policy paper calls for a coordinated European approach that brings together:

• Affordability and structural safety, ensuring that cost-effective solutions never compromise public safety or robustness;
• Sustainability and whole-life performance, supporting low-carbon construction, adaptive reuse and long-term serviceability;
• Innovation and industrialised construction, enabled by harmonised standards, quality assurance and strengthened professional competencies.

It also emphasises the crucial role of engineers as integrators of safety, resilience and innovation, encouraging their systematic involvement in housing policy design, regulatory processes and funding mechanisms.

Among its proposals are:

• A European Housing Resilience Framework, integrating climate adaptation, structural durability and seismic safety;
• A European Industrialised Housing Alliance and demonstrator projects;
• A Housing Digital Passport and a Housing Resilience Rating, supporting transparency, performance and cross-border coherence;
• Reforms to modernise regulatory frameworks and strengthen cross-professional collaboration.

ECCE and ECEC invite EU institutions, national governments and relevant stakeholders to consider the recommendations set out in the paper and to engage in meaningful dialogue on their implementation. Both organisations stand ready to contribute their expertise to European and national initiatives supporting safe, sustainable and affordable housing for all Europeans.

👉 Download the Policy Paper (PDF)