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Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

Collaborative economy

The European Commission is looking at how we can encourage the development of new and innovative services, and the temporary use of assets that the collaborative economy offers, while ensuring adequate consumer and social protection.

The collaborative economy, sometimes called the sharing economy, covers a great variety of sectors and is rapidly emerging across Europe. Many people in the EU have already used, or are aware of collaborative economy services, which range from sharing houses and car journeys, to domestic services. The collaborative economy provides new opportunities for citizens and innovative entrepreneurs. But it has also created tensions between the new service providers and existing market operators. The European Commission is looking at how we can encourage the development of new and innovative services, and the temporary use of assets, while ensuring adequate consumer and social protection.

Latest

Short-term accommodation rentals

Guidance and policy recommendations for the collaborative economy

The collaborative economy offers greater choice to consumers and new opportunities to entrepreneurs, but citizens and businesses must be aware of existing rules and obligations. With the Communication on the European agenda for the collaborative economy of June 2016, the EU provides clarity on applicable EU rules and policy recommendations to help citizens, businesses and EU countries fully benefit from the new business models and promote the balanced development of the collaborative economy.

Useful data

Eurobarometer surveys on the collaborative economy

In October 2021, the European Commission released the results of the first Eurobarometer survey on short-term rentals in the EU. It identifies citizens’ perceptions and practices in relation to short-term rentals. The results of the survey, country factsheets and an infographic are available. This 2021 survey complements two previous flash Eurobarometers on the collaborative economy conducted in 2018 and 2016.

Consultations

public consultation on the regulatory environment for platforms, online intermediaries, data and cloud computing and the collaborative economy ran from 24 September 2015 to 6 January 2016. The full synopsis report (594kB) is available.

From 24 January to 14 March 2017, we consulted citizens providing accommodation for short-term rental via collaborative platforms in the EU to better understand the development of the collaborative economy and its main features in this sector. The report is available.

Analytical papers

A series of external analytical papers contracted by the Commission shed light on some of the most relevant regulatory and economic aspects of the collaborative economy.