Meeting with Commissioner Dan Jørgensen’s Cabinet

On 6 November 2025, HOTREC met with the Cabinet of Commissioner Dan Jørgensen, in charge of Energy and Housing, to exchange views on the housing crisis and the Commission's European Affordable Housing Plan initiative.

Participants

• Philippe Moseley, Member of Cabinet, EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen
• Marie Audren, HOTREC
• Enrico Girotto, HOTREC
• Claudia Boboc, HOTREC

Summary meeting

The meeting focused on the Commission’s European Affordable Housing Plan (EAHP) initiative, the role of STRs and their impact on the housing market.

HOTREC underlined the complementary nature of short-term rentals (STRs) with hotels, while also pointing out the persistent lack of a level playing field with traditionnal accomodation providers, which continues to have adverse effects on the housing market. The upcoming EAHP could therefore offer an opportunity to further address this issue HOTREC also shared its latest data on STR.

Mr Moseley acknowledged the complexity of regulating STRs. While some Member States view STRs as mostly beneficial, others, particularly in Southern Europe, regard them as a serious concern, with substantial impacts on housing availability and affordability.

Although there is a broad recognition of the need for intervention, precise the nature of the future initiative remains undecided. This uncertainty was also reflected in the ambiguous remarks made by European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen during her State of the Union speech.

Mr Moseley noted that Commissioner Jørgensen had held a series of meetings with mayors from the Catalonia region, including the mayor of Barcelona and other surrounding areas, to better understand the STR issue. The views were different: while the core of Barcelona is facing serious issues in terms of short-term accommodation and housing crisis, the surrounding areas of the city emphasized the economic benefits of STRs.

The Housing Taskforce, which oversees drafting the EAHP, will take a comprehensive view at the housing problems and will look at possible solutions. Mr Moseley stated that although certain measures can be taken at EU level, a top-down approach is unlikely, as housing policy largely falls under the competence of Member States.

In terms of timeline, Mr Moseley indicated that the Commission will present the EAHP on 16 December, followed by a dedicated STR initiative in the second quarter of 2026. The topic will also be discussed at the Housing Summit next year, although the exact timing is still to be determined, with both the Cypriot and Irish Presidencies expressing interest in co-organizing the event with the Commission.

HOTREC highlighted some key messages when it comes to housing market and STRs:

• The need to establish minimum standards on hygiene, safety, insurance for STRs;
• Supporting a multi-level governance model;
• Enforcing the rules on ViDA;
• Ensuring uniform implementation of STR Regulation across Member States (even making it mandatory in case of no progress).