Brussels, 02/08/2012 (Agence Europe) - For the summer holidays, the EU Industry and Enterprise Commissioner issued ten top tips on 2 August 2012 for tourists in Europe, a summary of rights under EU legislation to help people travelling abroad, be it in an EU member state or further afield. The top tips cover issues like mobility, consular aid, passenger rights, complaints about organised tours, travelling with pets, the Europe-wide emergency telephone number (112), safety and fitting in with the locals, viz:
In most of mainland Europe, people from a Schengen country can travel with a single identity document, but passports are needed for member states that are not in Schengen (Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, Ireland and the United Kingdom) and for European Economic Area countries (Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Iceland);
Visas are not needed for travellers from 42 non-EU countries for trips to Europe of up to three months;
If you travel outside Europe, you are entitled to consular assistance from the embassies and consular offices of all member states;
Passengers have rights under EU legislation. For example, you may be entitled to a refund if your flight is cancelled without warning, you are not allowed to board due to overbooking, you are delayed for more than five hours, your luggage is lost or damaged (damages of up to €1,220). Disabled passengers or people finding it difficult to move around (due to a broken leg, for instance) are entitled to assistance free-of-charge on trains and at stations and on ships and in ports as long as they give prior warning of their travel arrangements;
For organised tours, one should always ensure that prices and other information are clearly set out in the contract. There is an EU directive providing rights in the event of changes or cancellation of an organised tour;
Under a new EU regulation on roaming that came into force on 1 July 2012, it is now possible to use mobile phones abroad without running up excessive bills;
If you get ill or have an accident in another member state, you are entitled to the same healthcare as that guaranteed in your home country;
Remember to get a passport for your pet from your vet before taking your pet abroad;
To get police, ambulance or fire brigade help in emergencies, you can call the same EU emergency number from any EU member state, namely 112.
Always behave in an “ethical” and civilised way when travelling abroad, respecting the culture and traditions of your host community. Never drive under the influence of drugs.
For free information about travel rights or other help, tourists can dial Europe Direct (00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11) or visit http://europa.eu/europedirect . In the event of disputes with tour operators located in another member states, the European Consumer Centre of the country where you are resident may be able to help. There is a European Consumer Centre in each of the 27 member states, along with one in Iceland and one in Norway.
The Commission has a website about travelling in Europe: http://europa.eu/travel/index_en.htm and publishes a brochure “Travelling in Europe”. Information for tourists at the London Olympics (27 July - 12 August) can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/london_2012/index_en.htm .
The European Commission has introduced a raft of measures to make tourism more competitive, as part of the EUROPE 2020 srategy, as set out in the European Commission report on a new policy framework for Europe, the world's leading tourist destination, under the powers conferred upon the EU in the field of tourism under the Lisbon Treaty. Further tourism initiatives include: 1) apilot scheme known as “Fifty thousand tourists”, launched on 1 June 2011, to promote tourism out of season between Latin America and EU member states; 2) a new campaign under preparation to consolidate Europe's position as the world's leading tourist destination for travellers from the emerging economies, whose expanding middle classes are a huge, largely untapped market for the European tourism industry; 3) CALYPSO, a 2009 initiative for low-season international tourist exchanges between EU member states; 4) EDEN (European Destinations of Excellence) to encourage sustainable development of tourism throughout the European Union. (IL/transl.fl)