Paris is one of the cities calling for more regulation from the Airbnb company.

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MEIGNEUX ROMUALD / SIPA

Paris, Florence or even Amsterdam.

In these attractive and touristy cities, vacation rental websites, like Airbnb, are everywhere.

This Thursday, 22 major European cities are calling for stricter regulation of these platforms, accused of damaging real estate markets and the attractiveness of neighborhoods.

These towns of the Eurocities network, which are due to meet with European Commission Vice-President Margrethe Vestager on Thursday in Paris, criticize “a dated and advantageous European legal framework” for these platforms, according to a press release.

The representatives of the metropolitan areas want "to force the platforms to share their data, which is essential for effective control" and to hold them "responsible for the announcements they publish".

Neighbors complain of nuisance

“We are not against platforms, but they must respect regulations at local and national level.

It is time for Europe to adopt a new approach in its regulations in order to put itself first at the service of the general interest, ”said Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris, which has more than 25,000 Airbnb homes, quoted in the press release. .

Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema, for her part, wishes to regulate digital platforms to “ensure the well-being and freedom of citizens”.

European metropolises blame short-term furnished rentals for being too profitable compared to long-term rentals and thus causing a housing shortage and a sharp rise in prices.

Preferred destinations for tourists, city centers are particularly affected by the phenomenon and town halls register a large number of complaints from co-owners or residents: incessant comings and goings, degraded common areas, transmission of untimely entry codes and noise.

New rules by the end of the year

The European Commission is due to unveil new legislation by the end of the year (the “Digital Services Act”), aimed at establishing a global standard to better monitor and control the activity of major platforms.

"Better cooperation between platforms and public authorities will be one of the prerequisites for the proper application of the" Digital Service Act "," said Margrethe Vestager, quoted in the press release.

For its part, Airbnb says it supports the creation of a "more coherent and efficient framework for digital services".

"We are already working with many governments and public authorities in Europe to share data that shows the positive impact of furnished tourist rentals," the platform said in a statement Thursday.

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