A Eurostat release-calendar item scheduled for 1 October 2026 covers building permits for June and the second quarter. In Eurostat’s quarterly dataset `sts_cobp_q`, the index for new residential buildings excluding residences for communities stood at 89.6 in Q2 2026, with 2021 set to 100 and the series seasonally and calendar adjusted. The year-on-year change for the same quarter was an increase of 14.3% in the unadjusted series. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, the seasonally and calendar-adjusted index rose by 2.3%. These are separate series: one is an index level and the others are rates calculated under different adjustment treatments. The annual and quarterly changes should not be added together or read as the same comparison.

The index is not an absolute count of permitted homes. Its value uses a 2021=100 reference base; 89.6 does not mean that 89.6 dwellings received permission. The coverage is new residential buildings excluding residences for communities under the CPA classification. Eurostat’s methodological manual says the dwelling indicator covers dwellings in new one-dwelling buildings and in new residential buildings with two or more dwellings. In Q2, the year-on-year change was an increase of 10.7% for one-dwelling buildings and 16.2% for buildings with two or more dwellings. These are breakdowns of the same dwelling-permit concept by building type. They refer to the number of dwelling units covered by permits, not to the number of buildings themselves.

A permit does not show that construction has been completed or that work began during the same period. Eurostat’s methodological manual defines a permit as the final stage of planning and authorisation by public authorities before work on a building project can start. The manual says the indicator can provide an early indication of the construction industry’s future workload, while cautioning that the relationship may be weaker when permits are not used or when a long time elapses between permission and the start of work. The 14.3% annual increase therefore does not prove that an equal proportion of homes was completed, entered the market or became ready for sale. Nor can the data directly establish house prices, rents, housing affordability or future construction volumes.

The quarter covers April through June 2026 and is identified as `2026-Q2` in the source dataset. The calendar entry names June and Q2 together because the main reference period for this permits indicator is quarterly, while monthly series are also available for some items. The index and building-type comparisons in this article come from the quarterly dataset. The 14.3% annual change compares Q2 2026 with the same quarter in 2025 and uses the unadjusted series. The 2.3% figure compares adjacent quarters for the same dwelling category after seasonal and calendar adjustment. Seasonality can affect construction permissions, so the adjusted comparison is useful for short-term movement while the annual rate compares the same part of the year.

European comparability is supported by common definitions and building classifications, while permits are compiled by national authorities using their administrative sources. Eurostat brings those national statistics together under shared categories. When using the figures, the index level must be kept distinct from percentage changes, annual comparison from quarter-on-quarter comparison, and the permit stage from physical construction activity. The 2021=100 series helps compare relative movement against a common reference year; it is not a count of dwellings or a measure of project cost. Its coverage of new-dwelling permits also does not represent all building permits, renovation work or the completed housing stock. This report records the observed rise in the index of dwelling units covered by permits in the second quarter; it is not a forecast of housing supply, market prices or homes completed.