We are facing an inevitable phenomenon affecting cities across Europe: a housing crisis and the increase in tourist rentals facilitated by online platforms. Although beneficial in certain aspects, this phenomenon has posed great challenges to cities in high demand such as Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona or Florence, where I participated this week in a seminar on the sidelines of the G7 on tourism and housing.
In these cities, access to affordable housing is today a nightmare for many citizens, affecting not only low-income families, but also the working middle class and younger people. We are at a critical point and we must determine how large tourist rental platforms should operate in our cities to support more balanced development and guarantee affordable housing opportunities for citizens.
Cities are experiencing a housing shortage as many apartments are increasingly intended for short-term stays rather than long-term residential rentals. This trend increases rent prices for citizens, reduces the availability of affordable housing, and can displace local residents, particularly in popular urban centers and neighborhoods in iconic locations where demand is very high. For example, over the last decade, rent prices in Barcelona have increased by 68%.
In the last legislature, the EU approved common regulations for short-term rentals, aiming to address issues of transparency, accountability and data sharing between local authorities and online platforms.
What more can we do at European level to ensure that short-term rentals contribute positively to our cities without compromising our communities? Firstly, it is essential to quickly and effectively implement the regulation approved by the EU.
But we must go further. The EU should support local and regional authorities to actively work with platforms to develop personalized solutions tailored to the needs of each city. Regular dialogue between municipal authorities and rental platforms has shown that it can help foster understanding and cooperation, potentially mitigate conflicts, share best practices for learning together and ensure local concerns are reflected within the common legislative framework.
And thirdly, we need to take a closer look at the legal framework governing tourist rental (accommodation, services, tourism) and propose European legislation that can help local and regional authorities solve the problem at European level. The reality is different from Zagreb to Lisbon, but the European institutions know that we must provide a harmonized legal framework that protects the internal market, while achieving a fair balance between sustainable tourism and affordable housing.
This debate cannot wait.
