Unions and housing-rights organisations from seven European countries have called for coordinated demonstrations against the rising cost of living on November 20, 21 and 22. Representatives met in Paris on November 3 and said they hoped to bring “millions” of people into the streets, in what they described as an unprecedented mobilisation of this scale.
The participating countries are France, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Greece and Belgium. Their demands include guarantees for the right to housing and controls on the prices of housing, food and energy. They are also calling for higher wages and pensions, stronger public services, including education and healthcare, and more public housing.
Other demands outlined at the meeting include protecting access to work for migrants, taxing the wealthy and ending policies supporting rearmament and the expansion of fossil fuels. The call is supported by the French unions CGT and Solidaires, as well as the housing-rights association Droit au logement and representatives of the Yellow Vests coordination.
The organisers said the demonstrations respond to soaring living costs and what they see as insufficient government action. Housing is a central issue across the movement: EU housing prices rose by more than 60% between 2010 and 2025, while rents increased by about 29%. In 2024, more than 16.5 million European households spent over 40% of their income on housing, equivalent to 8.2% of households in the EU.
The planned protests come amid demonstrations and labour actions in several countries. In Spain, housing-related protests followed the September eviction of 87-year-old Madrid resident Maricarmen Abascal, who died days later. The country’s major unions have called a general strike for November 11 over housing and wages. In Portugal, protest camps appeared in Lisbon and Porto in October, while a student association is coordinating a youth strike against fossil fuels in 20 countries on November 20.
Protests have also taken place among young people in France, Greece and Germany, while demonstrations in Italy have involved students, port workers, truck drivers and farmers. An Italian union representative said the government was failing to respond to people’s concerns.
Sources: Le Monde Économie.