Housing reforms in Czechia and Poland

The European Commission support Czechia and Poland to improve both housing affordability and availability of housing solutions for vulnerable groups. Through data analysis, stakeholders’ views on housing challenges and solutions, and peer country exchanges, the project develops policy recommendations to support the design and implementation of housing reforms in both countries.

Context

Housing affordability is a pressing challenge in many countries, including Czechia and Poland. Over the past three decades, both countries have experienced strong economic growth and significant improvements in living standards. Higher incomes and lower unemployment have put upward pressure on housing demand in an already challenging context, further reinforced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, and the war in Ukraine. These challenges have made more pressing the need to strengthen investment in sustainable and affordable housing, while further developing housing solutions for vulnerable groups. The project contributes to on-going efforts to develop a European Affordable Housing Plan.

Support delivered

Starting in August 2023 and for a period of two years, the OECD, in cooperation with the European Commission, gathered data and stakeholders’ insights through in-country meetings to identify housing challenges and recommendations. Surveys circulated by the OECD gathered stakeholders’ views on the recommendations, further enriched through Czech and Polish officials’ study visits to Belgium and France. The OECD presented recommendations to stakeholders in webinars. Recommendations and implementation roadmaps were presented in an OECD report, Housing Reforms in Czechia and Poland, discussed with stakeholders in both countries in September 2025. 

Expected results

The project’s recommendations support the implementation of on-going housing reforms in both countries through practical steps to unlock affordable housing development and integrated housing solutions. In the short term, proposed reforms should facilitate the emergence of affordable housing providers, make more efficient use of spatial planning and land-based finance tools, reduce vacant housing, mobilise existing buildings for affordable housing, adapt housing to an ageing population, and strengthen tailored housing solutions for people with higher support needs. In the medium and long term, proposed reforms are expected to increase availability of and access to affordable housing, including for vulnerable groups.