Short-term rental initiative

Title

Short-term rental initiative

Background

Short-term rentals (STRs) have grown rapidly in recent years, now amounting to about a quarter of all tourist accommodation in the EU. While bringing opportunities for both guests and hosts, STRs can also represent a threat for local communities in popular tourist destinations. There is a need for regulation, but the lack of reliable and comparable data is a major hurdle to policy-making. The Commission is therefore proposing a regulation to harmonise and improve the framework for STR data generation and collection across the EU and to enhance transparency in the sector.

Key points

The EESC recommends:

• a simplified registration process with a uniform, pan-EU format;
• periodic impact assessments of STR activities. They should be carried out by local authorities to evaluate impacts on the local tourism potential, the life of local residents and the housing market, the cost of living, employment, businesses and pollution in the area;
• a system of insurance policies to be taken up by hosts as an alternative to authorisation criteria. These insurance policies, which would cover the bulk of risks arising from STR activities, would leave it to insurers to verify hosts' compliance with the rules.
• a standardised approach steered by the European institutions regarding the level of information required for all STR activities. This would help national and local authorities take decisions in line with the interests of the communities concerned, facilitate data sharing, boost compliance and enable authorities to take appropriate action based on analyses at EU and local level.

Link to full opinion

Additional information

EESC section responsible: Single Market, Production and Consumption (INT)

Opinion type: mandatory referral 

Rapporteur: Marinel Dănuț Muresan (Employers - Group I / Romania)

Reference: COM(2022) 571 final

Date of adoption by section: 27 January 2023

Results of the vote: 54 in favour, none against, 3 abstentions

Date of adoption by the plenary session: 22-23 February 2023

Results of the plenary session vote: 190 in favour, none against, 4 abstentions

Contacts: