SIA Attended a Conference Dedicated to EU Regulations Over Collaborative Economy

At a conference dedicated to the regulatory environment for the collaborative economy, experts and representatives from Wien commented on the European agenda for the shared economy – how to protect consumers, reduce the grey zone and protect the existing market operators. The attendees agreed on the fact that local municipal administrations are not able to resolve the taxation problems without common EU standards and synchronised policies.

Thomas Reindl, Chairman of the municipal council in Wien said that if shared economy model is not properly applied it may further encourage unfair competition. Reindl remindеd the case of misuse of personal data by a US shared platform. Clemens Hempel, Head of “Economy, labour and statistics” in Wien municipality stressed on the fact that the collaborative model is not a new trend for Austria but in the digital environment where the shared services are prospering we need to encourage a regulatory environment that allows new business models to develop while protecting consumers and ensuring fair taxation and employment conditions.

Airbnb’s case in Amsterdam was given as a good example and a working model. Airbnb holds almost 80% of all accommodation rentals in Netherlands. Amsterdam signed a memorandum stating that the online marketplace is obligated to pay tourist taxes, and the longest rental period is 60 days for one year period.

The CEO of Invest Sofia, Vladimir Danailov also attended the conference. The collaborative economy model provides new opportunities to unlock the full potential of the citizens and the use of assets. First, we need to very carefully analyse the social and economic impacts from the shared economy in Bulgaria. This will helps us identify the best rules and policy recommendations for state regulations, Vladimir Danailov said.

Original article: Nedyalkova, Devora. “EU regulations for the shared economy to protect consumers”, 24 hours. Sofia, 12 March 2017.