Providing cheap land for social housing: breaching the state aid regulations of the single European market?

European Union member states are not permitted to provide aid that will distort competition by favouring certain undertakings or the production of certain goods which may then undermine trading in the European market. This prohibition also affects government authorities that are willing to provide cheap land for social and affordable housing. This paper reviews the ways in which land is provided for social housing in the Netherlands and explores possibilities for reshaping current practices to make them compatible with the regime of the Single European Market