European governments face mounting pressure over housing affordability and pension sustainability, as home prices in Portugal have doubled over a decade and Germany and Italy debate early retirement reforms.

In Portugal, median home prices rose from €830 per square meter in early 2016 to €2,076 in 2025, a 150 percent increase reaching €2,337 in the first quarter of 2026. Lisbon prices climbed from €2,315 per square meter in 2017 to €5,292, while Porto's metropolitan area reached €2,305 in 2025. Legal foreign residents rose from 388,731 in 2015 to 1,585,854 at the end of 2025, nearly 14 percent of the population. Tourist accommodation guests increased from 19.2 million to 32.5 million, while new home construction reached only 27,301 units in 2025 and buyers of foreign nationality purchased 41,086 homes.

"National priority" policies adopted in some regions may worsen Europe's housing crisis, according to The Conversation. In the Netherlands, municipalities are running out of funds for "starter loans" that help first-time buyers bridge the gap between their mortgage and home prices. In Spain's Balearic Islands, where the average home price reached €410,322 in 2025, the regional government rejected rent caps and raised the price ceiling for public mortgage guarantees to €382,000. A program to mobilize vacant homes secured only 112 properties against a target of 3,000, while Madrid approved guarantees covering 10 percent of off-plan home prices with €50 million.

Pension sustainability debates are intensifying alongside the housing crisis. In Germany, Zeit reported on how many elderly workers use the controversial early retirement scheme known as the Frührente. In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni rejected proposals to lower the retirement age to 64 amid a clash in the governing majority. The budget bill instead offers only "support measures" for "specific subjects in difficulty" alongside social safety nets.