Kraków, 05/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European ministers for tourism are meeting for an informal Council in Kraków (Poland) on Thursday 6 October, with an objective shared by all member states: stimulating the competitiveness of European tourism. This ambition will be put into practice with the signature of a joint declaration by the European Commission and the commission for cooperation in the field of tourism and the promotion of “destination Europe”.
For the host country and its Polish minister for tourism, Katarzyna Sobierajska, the priority must go to the tourist economy. “We must give European tourism new faces. In Warsaw, we have already held talks with ECTAA on this.” ECTAA, the European Travel Agents' and Tour Operators' Association, has some very specific ideas on the issue. According to its secretary general, Michel de Blust, two European directives require urgent revision on the part of the Council: Directive 90/314/EEC (of 13 June 1990) on travel, holidays and package tours, and Directive 2006/112/EC (28 November 2006) on the common VAT system. “Directive 2006/112, which is a revision of the sixth directive on VAT, is unclear. There is an obvious need for a better definition of the rules. We feel that it is preferable to modify this directive rather than to bring member states before the court” said Michel de Blust.
Poland recently had a few brushes with justice over its non-application of this directive. “We are in a similar position to Germany and the United Kingdom, where the tourist industry is dominated by large tour operators. Talks are necessary. Poland has an excellent opportunity to take a daring initiative and to put a sensitive subject on the table”, said the Polish Tourism Minister Katarzyna Sobierajska.
At this informal, a “50,000 tourists” protocol of understanding was also signed, a pilot experiment aiming to reinforce tourist flows between South America and Europe. (VW/transl.fl)