Airbnb, Expedia, Vacation Rentals Win Court Case Against Italy

Photo source: European Commission

EU member states cannot impose additional obligations on online service providers established in another member state, decided the European Court of Justice (CJEU) this week in favor of Airbnb, Expedia, and Vacation Rentals.

“A member state may not impose additional obligations on an online service provider established in another member state,” the Luxembourg-based CJEU decision read, adding that the obligations imposed by Italy were not permitted under the EU’s e-commerce directive exceptions.

This ruling concludes a lengthy legal battle between online platforms and Italian authorities and cannot be appealed.

The case was brought to court when Italy required online service intermediaries like Airbnb, Expedia, Google, Amazon, and Vacation Rentals to register with a local authority (AGCOM), submit financial reports, provide detailed information, and pay a financial contribution.

Non-compliance could result in fines.

The platforms – Google and Airbnb based in Ireland, Amazon in Luxembourg, and Expedia in Spain – argued that the Italian regulations conflicted with EU law, which stipulates that online service providers are subject only to the regulations of their home country.