For the Local Accommodation Association in Portugal (ALEP), the measures announced by the Government are positive, but they have stated that they are still going to have to "wait and see".

In an interview with Lusa, before the formal presentation of the Housing Strategy, which includes 30 measures to face the Housing crisis, Miguel Pinto Luz justified the political change with the intention of “strengthening the role of municipalities”.

Recognising that the AL “in some way impacts housing policies, whether publicly offered or privately offered”, the Government emphasises “belief in the capacity” of municipal councils to decide.

“The municipalities will have a say in this”, stressed the minister, adding that the decision will have “autonomy”, even if it must be “in accordance with general legislation”. This does not mean that the Government does not agree with the ban on new licenses. “The ban, perhaps, in Lisbon, will make sense”, admits the minister, but noting that “it is a decision that will be up to the city council” in the capital.

“In other places, it makes no sense and, therefore, potential and economic competitiveness in these regions may be lost. We don’t want that,” he highlighted.

"Wait and see", says ALEP

Speaking to Lusa, Eduardo Miranda, president of ALEP, said that, "in a first analysis", the association sees this decision "as something positive", stressing that some of its "main concerns" are being reflected, specifically "the reversal of some measures that were more punitive." "But we now need to wait for a second phase, which is the presentation of the more complete proposal so that we can understand exactly what will be proposed," he said.

"We always defend that the municipal councils should have a role in defining more management issues. While the national law defines the requirements of what is needed for AL, so that it is equal throughout the country, from the perspective of tourism, municipal councils could manage their territory” in the event of a concentration that could be negative.

“Let’s wait and see, how the Government will present this greater participation of the chambers here”, he added, considering, in general, this first measure “as something healthy”, as it is the municipalities that “know, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, the reality better than anyone else.”