Booking.com

Booking.com welcomes the Commissions simplification agenda. As a global travel platform, founded and headquartered in the Netherlands, we share the European Commissions objective to boost European competitiveness, including by addressing regulatory complexity. In this spirit, we broadly welcome the two Digital Omnibus proposals as a step in the right direction.

Booking.com welcomes the opportunity to provide input to the Commission’s work on the future Data Act initiative. We share the view that data is at the centre of the digital transformation of today’s economy and society.

Booking.com fully supports the political objective of fostering a more secure and safe online environment, as proposed by the Digital Services Act. We believe the vast majority of the proposed provisions form the right approach for a more responsible regulation of the digital economy. However, we believe that the proposal could have been more ambitious in tackling the problem of illegal short term holiday rentals.

Limiting intermediary liability has been an essential enabler for the success of the digital economy and has resulted in substantial tangible benefits for consumers. For example, customer generated reviews of hotels and other accommodations have intensified competition, increased trust and opportunity for properties outside of popular destinations, lowered prices, and improved quality.

We welcome the opportunity to contribute evidence-based analysis to support proportionate, effective policy development. Short-term rental impacts are highly context-dependent, requiring local regulatory responses grounded in rigorous causal analysis rather than uniform EU-wide restrictions.

The European Commission has tabled an ambitious proposal for keeping digital markets fair and open. Booking.com supports this ambition. A few digital platforms have become so powerful that they are unavoidable trading partners. Often they control entire digital ecosystems. Businesses are dependent on them for access to consumers.

This submission outlines Booking.com’s thinking on the proposed New Competition Tool and ex ante regulation for large online platforms with significant network effects acting as gatekeepers. We are submitting it in parallel to both consultations. We at Booking.com believe in the benefits of competition. It is at the core of our business model.

Booking.com is a leading global travel company, founded and headquartered in the Netherlands, with a mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. Consumers are increasingly looking for flexible and diverse options when planning their travel/holidays.

Booking.com’s feedback on the European Commission’s inception impact assessment on fairness in platforms to businesses relations Introduction Booking.com fully supports the goals of the European Commission’s Digital Single Market Strategy (DSM).

Opening of the attached position paper · the full paper is on the Commission’s record (source link above)

Booking.com welcomes the opportunity to provide input to the European Commission's call for evidence on VAT applicable to travel and tourism sectors and the European Commissions aims to reform the VAT rules for Travel and Tourism in line with the digital age and the evolving operating models of the travel sector.

Booking.com welcomes the European Commission's simplification agenda and the intention to address regulatory complexities, overlaps and fragmentation, including those raised in the application of the Directives on Administrative Cooperation (DAC). We believe there is an opportunity to streamline requirements, thus also creating the conditions to deliver more effectively the desired policy outcomes.

Booking.com welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the call for evidence on the proposal on specifying procedural rules for the enforcement of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). As a global online travel agency, Booking.com provides accommodation and other travel services such as flights, car rentals and attractions to travelers in Europe and beyond.

Booking.com takes note of the Commission’s intention to explore a digital levy as an “own-resource” for the purposes of recovery from the Covid-19 crisis and to support a more stable medium-term outlook. While work on this initiative is still at very early stages, it cannot and should not be seen in isolation from OECD efforts and national initiatives on digital services taxes (DST).

Across all areas, we have high level concerns on: timelines, access to source code, and confidentiality. This submission covers four articles only in substance: Arts 2, 7, 9, and 14. The scope of access granted to the Commission in Article 2 is overly broad, and the timelines and mechanisms through which this access will be granted in Article 7 and 14 are not realistic from a business perspective.

Booking.com welcomes the opportunity to provide input to the Commission' s work on the revision of the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Regulation. Booking.com attaches great importance to offering an intermediary service that both our travel partners and consumers can trust. It is this trust that has been fundamental to the success of Booking.com as a reliable travel platform.