Eurofound Talks
Eurofound Talks
Podcast-episode
Episode 40
4 February 2026

Er Europas mentale sundhed stadig i krise?

In this episode of Eurofound Talks, Mary McCaughey is joined by Marie Hyland to discuss the latest research on housing issues for Europe’s youth. They explore why property prices and rents have outpaced wages since 2010, leaving many young adults unable to achieve independence.

The conversation covers the stark reality of the rental market, where securing a starter flat in some regions now requires more than a full median income. From the rise of boomerang children to the role of the new European Commissioner for Housing, this episode examines how to restore affordability for a generation.

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Mary McCaughey

Head of Unit
Information and Communication

Mary McCaughey er informations- og kommunikationschef i Eurofound. Hun er uddannet fra Trinity College i Dublin og College of Europe i Brügge og begyndte at arbejde i Bruxelles med Europolitics og Wall Street Journal Europe. Hun arbejdede for Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa (AWEPA) i Sydafrika under landets overgang til demokrati, og i 1998 tiltrådte hun stillingen som talsmand for Den Europæiske Unions delegation i Pretoria, hvor hun ledede dens presse- og informationsafdeling under forhandlingerne om frihandelsaftalen mellem EU og Sydafrika. Efter afslutningen af Kosovo-krigen arbejdede hun som kommunikationskonsulent for Det Europæiske Genopbygningsagentur i Serbien. Hun tiltrådte stillingen som chefredaktør i Eurofound i 2003.

Marie Hyland

Research officer
Social policies research

Marie Hyland kom til Eurofound som forskningsmedarbejder i enheden for socialpolitik i 2023. Før dette tilbragte Marie flere år som økonom i Verdensbanken, hvor hun arbejdede med en række emner som køn, klimaforandringer og udvikling af den private sektor. Maries forskning har set på virkningen af juridisk diskrimination på kvinders økonomiske selvstændiggørelse, overvejet den rolle, som virksomhedsstørrelse og ledelsespraksis spiller for produktivitet og økonomisk udvikling, og analyseret økonomien i politikker til afbødning af klimaforandringer. Marie har en ph.d. i økonomi fra Trinity College Dublin.

Related content

Publikation

17 December 2025

Foundational challenges: The housing struggles of Europe’s youth
Europe faces a housing affordability crisis that impacts all age groups, with particularly pronounced implications for young people. For them, the crisis may have far-reaching consequences, affecting educational and employment opportunities, household composition and formation, and current and future well-being. This report examines the housing situation of the EU population, with a specific focus on young people. It shows that, across several metrics, young people generally experience the housing crisis more acutely than older cohorts.
Dataelement
Dashboard

17 December 2025

European housing dashboard
This interactive housing dashboard brings together key indicators on housing affordability, access to and quality of housing across European countries. Using the different filters, indicators and visualisations, the dashboard creates an overview of the current housing crisis.
Flag of the European UnionThis website is an official website of the European Union.
European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
The tripartite EU agency providing knowledge to assist in the development of better social, employment and work-related policies