Firmly resolved to coordinate, but still widely divided, many European Ministers responsible for tourism on Wednesday 20 May called for the conclusion of bilateral agreements to enable a safe resumption of travel and tourism activities in the EU.
“The more we do together, the better. However, if there is a possibility of concluding bilateral agreements, especially between countries where the epidemiological situation is similar or even identical, that is the route we should take in order to speed up the recovery of the sector”, summarised Gari Cappelli, Croatian Minister of Tourism, to the press at the end of the videoconference organised with his European counterparts, the second since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis.
Although most participants supported the Commission’s recent guidelines for a harmonised resumption of travel (see EUROPE 12486/6, 12486/9) and a majority of them – specifically French, German and Italian – again called for further coordination, differences between States persist.
“Some call for more measures to be implemented on entry into or exit from their countries, while others would settle for less stringent measures. Still others call for tighter controls, while some argue for a more flexible approach. It all depends on the epidemiological situation in their respective countries”, Mr Cappelli told reporters.
Upcoming meetings. Further discussions and meetings will therefore be necessary to decide how to implement the Commission’s recommendations.
Mr Cappelli, who chaired the meeting, also announced forthcoming discussions on the technical details of the Internet site and the interactive map which the Commission has undertaken to set up, with the help of the Member States (see EUROPE 12486/5), so that future tourists can have access to information in real time.
For the time being, the Ministers have merely given their support to this initiative. The site should be up and running in June.
What will our summer be like? “This year’s holidays will be different from the usual ones”, said Thomas Bareiß, German Federal Government Commissioner for Tourism, in a statement after the meeting. “I see good chances for people to get to their favourite European holiday destinations”, he still considered.
On the French side, on the other hand, there is a preference for a summer with “a stronger national component”. For a more complete view of the situation, we will still have to wait until mid-June, said Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, French Secretary of State to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
Priority sector. The videoconference was also an opportunity to reiterate the sector’s high expectations for recovery. All the Ministers consequently indicated that they were counting on the forthcoming recovery plan to provide substantial support to European tourism companies, which have been considerably weakened by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Participants also welcomed the announcement of a summit and an agenda for 2050 dedicated to the revival and transformation of tourism in Europe and called for the Multiannual Financial Framework currently being drawn up to reflect this ambition.
The Croatian minister pointed out that the European Commissioners for Transport, Adina Vălean, and for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, had announced that more concrete details on the financial package to support the most affected sectors of the economy, primarily tourism, would be announced on 27 May. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki with Camille-Cerise Gessant)