Latest news with #SpanishSupremeCourt
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Everything we know about the Spain AirBnB saga so far
Spain is the most popular international destination for British holidaymakers, with 18 million of us visiting the sunny nation in 2024. However, those who have Airbnb bookings for the coming months may be startled to learn that Spain's authorities have called for the removal of 66,000 short-term holiday listings on the grounds that they are in breach of tourist accommodation regulations. So, what does this mean for already booked Airbnbs in Spain? We'll get to that, but it's useful to know why it's happening… Numerous anti-tourism protests have taken place in Spain since 2024, following a growing housing affordability crisis. Locals in places including Madrid and Barcelona have shone a spotlight on short-term holiday rentals - typically those in residential areas - claiming that the short-term rental market is pushing up housing prices. "No more excuses. Enough with protecting those who make a business out of the right to housing in our country,' Spain's consumer minister Pablo Bustinduy said to journalists following the Spanish court's decision on delisting short-term rentals. Spain's Consumer Rights Ministry opened an investigation into Airbnb last year, and Spanish courts have since deemed many listings to be illegal, claiming thousands of them do not openly show a tourism licence or registration number (at least one that is recognised by the authorities), or they do not show the legal status of the landlords. The High Court of Justice in Madrid has ordered the immediate removal of 5,800 listings, and is promising two further phases totalling up to 66,000 listings. The listings include whole properties only – individual room listings do not feature in the ban. Airbnb claims that even this initial figure has been lowered to 4,984, after they flagged a number of instances where listings were in compliance with the applicable regulations. There will be no impact whatsoever on reservations for the summer in Spain, at least from Airbnb's side. Meaning no cancelled plans and no compensation needed as a result of the recent ruling. The online platform confirmed to Yahoo News that it would be appealing the decision and that it has no plans to take any listings down immediately. "No evidence of rule-breaking by hosts has been put forward,' it said in a statement. 'The decision goes against EU and Spanish law and a previous ruling by the Spanish Supreme Court.' Airbnb could also argue that it is a platform subject to the Digital Services Act, with no monitoring obligations. However, if it is asked to remove content by the Spanish Supreme Court, it would be required to do so. It will likely argue that it's not classified as a real estate provider, so displaying a registration number will lie with the final tourism service provider. The Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) counted more than 350,000 short-term rentals in Spain in 2024, which includes listings on sites Airbnb, Vrbo and Only Airbnb has been targeted in the recent ruling. Airbnb doesn't only offer short-term rentals but also hotels, hostels, rural houses, bed and breakfasts and tourist apartments. There's a growing resentment towards short-term lets worldwide, with many claiming that short-term rentals are affecting house prices. Airbnb policies have become more strict in certain places, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Edinburgh and New York, but Airbnb claims that since the new anti short-term rental regulations in these cities have been in effect there have been no major changes to accommodation availability. 'The solution is to build more homes – anything else is a distraction,' Airbnb said in a statement to Yahoo News. 'Governments across the world are seeing that regulating Airbnb does not alleviate housing concerns or return homes to the market – it only hurts local families who rely on hosting to afford their homes and rising costs.' According to Spain's National Statistics Institute (INE) census in 2021, Spain has almost four million vacant homes that make up over 14% of Spain's total housing stock. 'Millions of euros [are] taken from everyday hosts and small businesses, often to the benefit of large hotel chains,' Airbnb claims. Read more: The key travel rules you must know after EU-UK deal Fish and chip shop wins fight to partially convert to Airbnb
Al Jazeera
31-03-2025
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Spanish court overturns ex-footballer Dani Alves' rape conviction on appeal
Former Barcelona player Dani Alves won his appeal against a sexual assault conviction as a Spanish court overturned the ruling. Alves was found guilty in February 2024 of raping a woman in a nightclub in December 2022 and sentenced to four years, six months in prison. The former Brazil and Barcelona defender denied wrongdoing during the three-day trial. That court ruled Friday that there was 'insufficient evidence' to rule out Alves's presumption of innocence. The Alves trial was the first high-profile case since Spain overhauled its laws in 2022 to make consent central to defining a sex crime, in response to an upswell of protests after a gang-rape case during the San Fermin bull-running festival in Pamplona in 2016. The legislation popularly known as the 'only yes means yes' law defines consent as an explicit expression of a person's will, making it clear that silence or passivity do not equal consent. But the four judges of a Barcelona-based appeals court ruled unanimously to overturn the conviction. In their ruling, they wrote that the testimony of the plaintiff 'differed notably' from evidence of video footage taken before the woman and Alves entered the toilet where she said he forced her to have sex without her consent. Alves, now 41, was kept in jail from January 20, 2023 until March 2024 when he was released after paying $1.2m for bail while awaiting his appeal. He also handed over his passports, with prosecutors having argued against releasing him on bail because of a possible flight risk. Prosecutors wanted his prison sentence increased to nine years while the victim's lawyer wanted him to stay behind bars for 12 years. This decision could be appealed to the Spanish Supreme Court in Madrid. Alves was one of the most successful players of his generation and won dozens of titles with elite clubs including Barcelona, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain. He also helped Brazil win two Copa Americas and an Olympic gold medal at age 38. He played at his third World Cup, the only major title he hasn't won, in 2022. He played for Barcelona from 2008-16, helping the team win three Champions Leagues and six Spanish leagues, and briefly rejoined the club in 2022. He still has a residence near the city. He was with Mexican club Pumas when he was arrested. Pumas terminated his contract immediately.
Arab News
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Spain closes Russia probe against Catalan separatist leader
MADRID: The Spanish Supreme Court on Thursday said it had closed a treason investigation against Catalonia's exiled separatist figurehead Carles Puigdemont over alleged Russian interference in the region's failed 2017 secession bid. The worst crisis Spain had experienced in decades saw the wealthy northeastern region hold a secession referendum and proclaim a short-lived declaration of independence whose aftershocks continue to reverberate. A judge from a lower court placed Puigdemont under investigation for high treason to determine whether he had contacts with the Kremlin or tried to gain Russian support for Catalan independence in return for financial compensation. The Supreme Court said in a statement it had 'decided to close the proceedings' opened into the 'alleged Russian interference in the Catalan independence process.' Spain's top court last year shelved a separate investigation against Puigdemont for a terrorism charge related to 2019 protests in Catalonia against prison terms handed out to separatist leaders for their role in the secession bid. Puigdemont has lived in exile in Belgium since the crisis and remains Spain's most-wanted fugitive as he was excluded from the remit of an amnesty law introduced by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's leftist government to heal tensions. But his Junts per Catalunya party wields outsized influence in national politics as its seven MPs often determine whether Sanchez's minority government passes legislation in the hung parliament.
