The Ministry of Tourism and Employment of the Government of the Canary Islands has complied "strictly with all the obligations" required by Europe in the processing of the Law of Sustainable Management of the Tourist Use of Housing, which will regulate the phenomenon of holiday homes, as stated this Wednesday in a statement.
It assures that the Government of the Canary Islands has complied with the provisions of the services directive of the European Commission, an organization with which it maintains "a fluid contact through the established channels".
The legislative initiative continues, therefore, its process in the regional Parliament, where all political forces will have the opportunity to make their contributions to the text and ensure the general interest of 2.2 million Canarians, "for whom the lack of housing constitutes one of their main concerns".
Since March 2023, -before the legislature began-, the European Commission has been monitoring the legal framework that affects short-term rentals throughout Spain.
As part of this monitoring, the statement notes, the European body sent a letter to the State in 2024 to learn about the country's news on this matter, taking an interest in the progress of each autonomous community and also of some cities.
The Spanish authorities -responsible for channeling that information- responded to that requirement on October 17, 2024, complying with Europe's request.
With regard to the obligation to inform the European Commission about the requirements that the future law establishes for short-term tourist rentals, the Government of the Canary Islands is within the deadline to respond, since European regulation "only obliges to make such notification before the final approval of the norm".
The Law of Sustainable Management of the Tourist Use of Housing has just begun its parliamentary process, so it has not yet been approved and "no breach has occurred".
"The Ministry of Tourism and Employment has maintained fluid contact with the European authorities since the beginning of the legislature, participating in the different meetings and acting at all times in accordance with the provisions of Community laws," the note emphasizes.