In February 2008 The European Commission presented a proposal for a regulation on a population and housing censuses with comparable data at a European level.

The last population and housing census in the EU was conducted for 2001. It was not based on European legislation, but instead on a "Gentlemen’s agreement", which resulted in poor quality and a wide variation of data.

The current proposal establishes common rules for a decennial collection of data, the first set of which should be published in 2011. Member States will work together with Eurostat to collect the correct data.

Although housing is not an EU competence, it is included in this census as:

• Access to decent housing is a major concern of social policy and there is still a lack of indicators on housing at a European as well as national level;
• Buildings that house private households are important consumers of energy, water, and other supplies and services that have an environmental component;
• Housing has important economic significance.

   

The proposal comes with an extensive annex on topics to be covered. With regards to housing and urban planning matters, this includes very interesting topics (either marked as obligatory or recommended), such as:

• Mode of transport;
• Distance travelled (to work);
• Number of cars available per household and availability of car parking;
• Type and location of living quarters;
• Density standards;
• Dwellings by period of construction;
• Useful floor space;
• Type of ownership;
• Access to dwelling;
• Energy and water related topics.

The proposal is still under discussion by the European Institutions. The European Parliament finalised their report on 20 February 2008. Amongst other topics, they would like to see the following included with relation to housing:

• Date of construction and of last structural maintenance work;
• Environmental and energy classification;
• Transport and urban traffic;
• Access to public and private buildings for persons with disabilities;
• Mobility within the dwelling and the building containing the dwelling.

If this Commission proposal works out, it can become a great asset to researchers and practioners alike.

The proposal is available for download at the right-hand side of the screen. If you would like to share your opinion, or if you need more information, please contact Sander Scheurwater at sscheurwater@rics.org