Author: Guido Smorto
Comparative Law Department University of Palermo
Date Published: March 2016
Research commissioned by: the European Commission
Why did we select this research?
These series of analytical papers on market access requirements in the short-term accommodation rental sector can help city governments understand how EU law applies to the accommodation sharing sector.
Key findings
Peer to peer service leaves challenges for policymakers in dealing with tourism planning, local economy, and whether or not to redesign the existing regulations on traditional businesses. Data from Paris, Rome, Milan, and London are analysed in this paper to examine collaborative economy framework in accommodation sector. The paper discovered that France and Italy have not altered their regulations to response to the fast growing peer to peer businesses.
Obstacles for the progress of collaborative economy may also derive from inconsistent legislation framework that were found within different layer of authority (national, regional, municipal) in Italy.
Old legislation should be adjusted because peer to peer services involve a number of non-professional individuals. Existing legislation could be imposing disproportionate costs on non-professions and limited their opportunity. At the same time, there is a possibility that services provided by non-professional individuals may not be considered sufficient value to the customers.
Reference
European Commission (2016). Analytical paper on market access requirements in the short-term accommodation rental sector in Paris, Rome, Milan and London. Retrieved from: http://ec.europa.eu/DocsRoom/documents/16949/attachments/1/translations
