Competition Law in Tourism

TOWARDS A REGULATION OR A DEREGULATION OF TOURIST APARTMENTS 667 of the LAU. In this sense, Magro Servet10 considers that the reform of the regulation on the urban rental “refers to the regulation of seasonal leasing by the touristic regulations that the Autonomous Communities control. This way, the private leasing for a touristic purpose is not prevented, only being transferred to the Autonomous Communities, with the aim of giving them the power of establishing more conditionings to these rentals, when needed.”. In any case, this is a response to the hotel sector demand that observed a limited or inexistent regulation on this touristic activity11. At a supranational level, the CCAA have not regulated tourist apartments and housing, but in a notice from the EU in 2016 about “collaborative economy”, it accepts this last type and add some clues for this tourist services tobe surely performed, looking after fair and effective competition and mainly the users’ protection12. The “Services Directive” of 2006 prohibits the establishment of measures that create obstacles to the offering of services within the Community’s, territory and that essentially affects tourism and accommodation rental, which is considered as a tourist service13. The last step in regulation is the Royal Decree No. 1070/2017 of 29December for the prevention of fiscal fraud face to the emergence of the collaborative 10 See MAGRO SERVET, V. “Aspectos relevantes de la reciente reforma de la LAU por la Ley 4/2013, de 4 de junio”, Revista Aranzadi Doctrinal, (2013), No. 4, part Estudio, p. 35. 11 Some theories affirm that the seasonal renting has been supplanting the tourist regulations during years. See ROMÁN MÁRQUEZ, A. (2014) “Las viviendas particulares dedicadas a la actividad de alojamiento turístico. Su exclusión de la Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos”. Revista Internacional de Doctrina y Jurisprudencia, No. 6, p. 4; & VERDERA IZQUIERDO, B. (2009). “El arrendamiento de temporada frente a las estancias turísticas en viviendas”. El Consultor inmobiliario, No. 107, pp. 1-17. See also: STSJ de Madrid 291/2016, 31 May, indicating that “if this regime is optional for the owners, it does not mean that is in accordance to law. 12 See Comunicación de la Comisión al Parlamento, al Consejo, al Comité Económico y Social Europeo y al Comité de las Regiones A European agenda for the collavorative economy, de 2 June 2016, COM (2016) 356. It must be noted that UE Communications is not binding for the members or citizens. 13 See Directive 2006/123/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 on services in the internal market. Any object or law – at a state, regional or local level – that creates“quantity or territory modifications” in this service will need to present a study justifying and evaluation this modifications “of overriding reasons relating to the public interest” respecting the non-discrimination and proportionality principles. Before it is approved, the project and the study must be communicated through the competent administrative entity to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Communication for the consequent notification to the UE. See: TUDELA ARANDA, J. (2010). “Turismo”, en BERMEJO VERA, J. & LÓPEZ RAMÓN, F. (Dirs.). Tratado de derecho público aragonés, ed. Cívitas, Cizur Menor, (Navarra), pp. 16621664, that considers “Directive 123/2006 importance is proved within the attempt to escape the previous authorisation and the entry in the regional tourism registry for regulation purpose in order to an administrative simplification”; BERMEJO LATRE, J. L. & ESCARTÍN ESCUDÉ, V. (2010). “El impacto de la reforma de la Directiva Bolkestein y la reforma de los servicios en el sector del turismo”, en MOREU CARBONELL, E. El impacto de la Directiva Bolkestein y la reforma de los servicios en el derecho administrativo, Monografías de la Revista Aragonesa de Administración Pública, pp. 462512; &MELGOSA ARCOS, F. J. (2011), “Directiva de servicios y turismo: aproximación a la incidencia de la directiva de servicios de mercado interior”, Noticias de La Unión Europea, No. 317. See: STSJ de Madrid, of 31 May 2016, STSJ de Canarias, 21 March 2017 and 25 May 2017; and la STSJ de Castilla y León de 2 February 2018.

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