In an interview with Lusa, before the formal presentation of the Housing Strategy, scheduled for today, in Porto, Miguel Pinto Luz justified the political change with the intention of "reinforcing the role of municipalities".

Recognizing that local lodging "somehow impacts housing policies, whether they are public or private," the Government stresses that it "believes in the capacity" of city councils to decide.

"The municipalities will have a say in this matter," the minister stressed, adding that the decision will have "autonomy", although 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," the minister admits, but points out that "it is a decision that will be up to the city council" of the capital.

"In other places it does not make sense and, therefore, potential and economic competitiveness may be lost in those regions. We do not want that," he stressed.

In the Housing Strategy presented today by the Government (PSD-CDS/PP), to which Lusa had prior access, it is also expected to repeal the Extraordinary Contribution on Local Accommodation, one of the most contested measures of the More Housing package, approved by the previous socialist Government and in force, as law, since October 7 of last year.

The measures related to local accommodation are, in the Housing Strategy of the current Government, those that have the fastest execution (within ten days) and also include the repeal of the expiration of the license and the transmissibility of local accommodations.

For Miguel Pinto Luz, "what was wrong with the previous law" is "treating as equal what is objectively different".

And he gave an example: "local accommodation developments in the Algarve are not the same as in Lisbon, local accommodation in Caldas da Rainha is different from local accommodation in Porto."

With the repeal of the measures on local accommodation, the Government assumes "a decentralized vision", to "treat differently what needs to be treated differently", he distinguishes.

The Government Program, presented on April 10, had already assumed the intention of repealing the measures approved by the previous socialist executive that the new Government considers "wrong", among which are forced leasing, rent freezes and "penalizing measures" for local accommodation.

With 30 measures, the Housing Strategy, presented today, confirmed this.

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