The new European guidelines on Local Accommodation, presented by the European Commission on September 9, are expected to have a limited impact on Portugal, which already has advanced national legislation in this area. Eduardo Miranda, president of the Local Accommodation Association in Portugal (ALEP), told the Economic Journal that the country is more advanced than much of Europe, where many Member States still do not have national regulation of the activity.
The European Commission intends to curb house prices and increase the supply of housing in European Union cities. According to Eduardo Miranda, the European guidelines have already been applied in Portugal, unlike in countries where each city created its own rules without basic parameters. European Commissioner Dan Jorgensen and other officials present the Portuguese case as an international reference.
Miranda stressed that Brussels does not intend to impose direct restrictions on Local Accommodation, but to establish guidelines so that each country creates its own regulation in a balanced way. He argued that it is not enough to claim housing problems; it is necessary to prove a causal relationship with Local Accommodation through excessive concentration in specific areas. He also considered that the biggest housing problem is the lack of supply, something he believes is absent from the new European rules.
The official criticized Barcelona's approach, where the aim is to eliminate all local accommodation when these represent only 0.6% of the city's housing stock. Miranda argued that each case should be assessed individually and that it is not acceptable for legal decisions to ignore investments already made by owners.
