Ban on short-term local housing rentals in Portugal

10.3.2023

Priority question for written answer  P-000835/2023
to the Commission
Rule 138
Cláudia Monteiro de Aguiar (PPE), Álvaro Amaro (PPE), José Manuel Fernandes (PPE), Maria da Graça Carvalho (PPE), Lídia Pereira (PPE), Paulo Rangel (PPE)

The ‘Mais Habitação’ (‘more housing’) programme presented by the Socialist Government last week contains a number of unacceptable and disproportionate measures effectively spelling the end of short-term local housing rentals that provide over 100 000 jobs and account for 40% of overnight stays in Portugal, according to the industry’s own figures.

Last October, the EC tabled a proposal designed to promote transparency in the short-term rentals sector, the aims of which are the exact opposite of those being sought by the Portuguese Government. The objective is to help public authorities to ensure balanced and sustainable growth in this sector through an online registration system accompanied by data collection and sharing arrangements enabling Member States to take appropriate measures where necessary to facilitate market access for operators, for example. While this measure has received overwhelming support in the Portuguese Cabinet, the measures recently taken by the latter include a ban on the issuing of licences for short-term rentals and imposing a five-year limit on existing ones up to 2030.

In view of this:

Does the Commission not consider these proposals by the Portuguese Government to be in breach of the principle of freedom to provide services set out in Articles 56-62 TFEU and the principles of non-discrimination, proportionality and necessity set out Article 16 of Directive 2006/123/EC?

Submitted: 10.3.2023