eu travel tech urges the Commission to prioritise implementing the EU STR Regulation before considering any new action on Short -Term Rentals
Brussels, 16 December – Today, the European Commission published its Affordable Housing Action Plan, outlining a broad set of measures aimed at addressing the structural drivers of Europe’s housing crisis, and proposes the adoption of a new legislative initiative on short-term rentals (STRs) in Q4 26. While we fully recognise the urgency of the housing crisis and the need to address local pressures where they arise, any policy response must be grounded in facts, and a clear understanding of the real drivers of housing affordability.
Announcing a new legislative initiative on short-term rentals while the EU STR Regulation is yet to be implemented undermines the principle of legal certainty, and risks damaging an industry on which many families and communities depend for their livelihoods. eu travel tech firmly opposes the launch of a new legislation at this stage. Ahead of the deadline for implementation of the EU STR Regulation (2024/1028) in next May, the EU should first ensure full and even implementation of the Regulation to allow the sector to collect and assess the comprehensive data the Regulation would generate to facilitate an objective and shared understanding of the role STRs play in housing market dynamics.
“It is very difficult for our industry to understand how the European Commission can at the same time stress the need for more legal certainty and predictability on short-term rental matters while proposing the adoption of a new STR legislation when the previous one has been adopted less than 2 years ago and is not even implemented yet. We believe the implementation of the STR regulation should be the absolute priority of the Commission, to ensure it will deliver all its benefits, giving the necessary data to local, national and European authorities to design data-driven, proportionate and targeted measures. As rightfully stressed by the Commission, short-term rental provides greater choice for consumers, extra income for hosts, and a boost for tourism. Any new initiative shall ensure the positive contribution of short-term rental to the EU economy is preserved and ensure that occasional hosts are not burdened with additional disproportionate rules”. said Emmanuel Mounier, Secretary General of eu travel tech.
eu travel tech stands ready to engage constructively with the Commission and all stakeholders to support data-driven, targeted and proportionate local solutions that genuinely address Europe’s housing challenges and deliver tangible benefits for citizens, in full respect of subsidiarity.
