Digital Services Act – European Parliament Opinions adopted

The European Parliament’s work on its Digital Services Act report is moving forward. While the vote on the IMCO (Internal Market) Committee’s Draft Report is expected to take place on 28 September2020 and compromise amendments have been tabled, all four consulted committees have approved their Opinions:

• TRAN (Transport and Tourism)
• JURI (Legal Affairs)
• CULT (Culture and Education)
• LIBE (Civil Liberties)

Points raised in the TRAN Opinion are of particular interest for the hospitality sector, with the committee inviting the European Commission to take the following considerations into account when drawing up future digital rules:

• Clarifying the liability of transport and tourism platforms, taking into account specific business models;

• establishing a uniform obligation for transport and tourism platforms to verify the identity of the service providers and to request from service providers the permits, licenses and certificates attesting the legality and safety of the service offered, to introduce the use of due diligence protocols, to ensure that information service providers provide is up-to-date and to take measures against illegal content;

• enhancing the relationship between stakeholders and local authorities in the STR market and mobility services via a governance framework formalising cooperation between STR and mobility platforms and national, regional and local authorities, aiming especially to share best practices and thus facilitating their daily business, and by establishing a set of information obligations of STR and mobility platforms vis-à-vis their service providers concerning relevant national, regional and local legislation;

• moving towards a level-playing field, recognising long-established regulated business models in many strategic sectors such as transportation and hospitality;

• a good competitive environment and limit the dominance of market giants with clear criteria to define “systemic platforms and to prevent the emergence of future monopolies.