The Canary Islands Vacation Rental Association (ASCAV) has held several "strategic meetings" in Brussels, including a meeting with members of the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs of the European Commission regarding a complaint filed with this body due to the limitations and restrictions that the Canary Islands tourism regulations impose on property owners who wish to dedicate them to tourist rentals in the archipelago.
ASCAV denounced before the European Commission that, both the current tourism regulation and the Draft Law on Sustainable Planning of Tourist Use of Housing, "impose restrictions on tourist activity that are contrary to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Directive 2006 on services in the internal market."
This meeting addressed issues that are "crucial for vacation home owners in the archipelago." Previously, ASCAV had provided the European Commission with extensive documentation justifying "the blatant breaches of Canary Islands tourism regulations."
ASCAV had the opportunity to explain "the difficult situation faced by small vacation home owners whom the Government of the Canary Islands intends to expel from the tourism activity."
Likewise, the association pledged to provide the Commission with more documentation justifying "the situation in which the owners of vacation homes in the Canary Islands will be left." In general, the sector is made up of small owners who account for 89% of the total supply of vacation homes in the Canary Islands.
The European Commission will continue with the relevant procedures to decide whether to summon the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands (through the Kingdom of Spain) to make any allegations it deems appropriate.
Ultimately, the process could end with an Infringement Opinion on Community regulations for which the Autonomous Community would be responsible.
ASCAV recalls that thousands of jobs and an economy exceeding 1.7 billion euros are at stake.
