EU Housing Commissioner – What Airbnb and mayors said

The housing crisis, which affects almost all major European cities, has become a top priority for the European Commission.

For the first time, a Housing Commissioner has been appointed, and a new Housing Taskforce has been established to support the Commissioner’s work. The Taskforce began its operations on February 1, 2025, and has already initiated discussions to propose solutions.

The first (separate) meetings that became publicly known were with representatives from Airbnb and the mayors of Madrid and Barcelona.

Here’s what the first interlocutors told the Taskforce:

Airbnb: A “constructive” partner?

During Airbnb’s meeting with the Housing Commissioner’s Taskforce, representatives highlighted recent data from Oxford Economics showing that:

• Short-term rentals contributed €149 billion to the EU’s GDP in 2023.
• Airbnb listings account for 0.5% or less of the housing stock in major EU cities.

Airbnb representatives emphasized that broad restrictions on short-term rentals fail to solve local issues while undermining hosts’ and guests’ ability to benefit from home-sharing.

They pointed out that in Barcelona, rents have increased by 70%, and the average home price has risen by 60% since the city began cracking down on short-term rentals in 2014.

What the mayors of Madrid and Barcelona said

Madrid’s solution

José Luis Martínez-Almeida, the center-right mayor of Madrid [from the conservative Partido Popular], stressed that increasing the supply of new housing in Spain’s capital is the only way to address the housing crisis. He called for measures in this direction.

He stated that Madrid’s municipal plans include building more social housing while also creating a legal framework that differentiates social housing from affordable housing.

Additionally, he noted that in November, Madrid’s City Council announced plans to restrict short-term rentals in the historic center as part of a Special Plan for the Protection of Residential Areas—known as Plan Reside.

This plan replaces a previous one implemented in 2019 and bans short-term rentals in all residential buildings within the historic center. The measure aims to preserve residential spaces.

Tourist apartments will now be allowed in Madrid only if they are located in entire buildings designated exclusively for tourism use and, of course, if they have obtained the necessary license. Outside the historic center, tourist apartments must have a separate entrance.

Buildings not classified as residential, including commercial properties and hotels, may be converted for tourist use, provided they do not affect the housing supply, according to the city council.

In the historic center, residential apartment buildings cannot be converted into tourist accommodations.

Barcelona’s Plans

In Barcelona, Mayor Jaume Collboni, from the Socialist Party of Catalonia, wants to expand rent control measures not only in densely populated areas but also in the short-term rental sector.

Collboni stated:
“The problem we are facing in many European cities right now is the conflict between the right to housing and the right to economic or tourist use of that housing. In Barcelona, we have chosen to defend the right to access housing over using properties for tourism.”

The mayor of Barcelona is also behind a letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, co-signed by an alliance of ten European cities, including Rome and Amsterdam. The letter urges von der Leyen to take the lead in housing policy and directly manage the allocation of funds across the bloc’s cities struggling with housing crises.

Collboni has already announced his intention to completely ban short-term rentals by the end of 2028. Short-term rental groups and booking platforms are already urging him to reconsider.

It is worth noting that Dan Jørgensen has been appointed Commissioner for Energy and Housing. In the coming months, he is expected to propose affordable housing solutions.