Cities and regions express their views on the sharing economy, the Trade in Services Agreement and a fair corporate tax system | bilaterals.org

Cities and regions express their views on the sharing economy, the Trade in Services Agreement and a fair corporate tax system | bilaterals.org

Cities and regions express their views on the sharing economy, the Trade in Services Agreement and a fair corporate tax system 

On 29 September, the Commission for Economic Policy (ECON) of the EU
Committee of the Regions (CoR) held an external meeting in
Gelsenkirchen, Germany, at the invitation of Markus Töns (DE/PES),
member of the North Rhine-Westphalia Regional Parliament. On the agenda
was the adoption of the draft opinions on the sharing economy, which
includes businesses like Uber and Airbnb, on the local and regional
dimension of the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) and on proposals for
a fair and efficient corporate tax system.



The "sharing economy” (SE) describes a type of business built on the
sharing of resources – allowing customers to access goods and services
without ownership. Platforms like Uber and Airbnb have made the concept
both popular and controversial as it lacks clear legal rules. The
rapporteur of the relevant CoR draft opinion,
Benedetta Brighenti (IT/PES), deputy mayor of the municipality of
Castelnuovo Rangone, pointed out: “SE is a growing part of the economy,
which is not only aimed at maximising own profit and but can also have a
beneficial social, economic and environmental impact". However, she
warned against the negative results of SE, urging the European
Commission to scrutinise impacts on personal economic security and
social welfare as well as on pre-existing markets. "There is no doubt
that some regulation is needed, but we must strike a balance so as not
to stifle economic innovation", she insisted.