MEPs on the Parliamentary Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) gave a lukewarm welcome on Thursday 28 May to the European Commission's recent guidelines on resuming travel and boosting tourism in the EU (see EUROPE 12486/5, 12486/6, 12486/7).
Slawomir Tokarski of the European Commission's Directorate-General for the Internal Market (DG GROW) and Herald Ruijters and Elisabeth Kotthaus of the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) were invited to present the guidelines to MEPs.
All three were questioned numerous times about the Commission's ability to enforce its guidelines.
“Where, how and when will these measures be implemented?” asked MEP Cláudia Monteiro de Aguiar (EPP, Spain), who feared that the EU would fail to harmonise health protocols and monitor bilateral agreements (see EUROPE 12491/14).
The relevance of these agreements has been questioned, as some Members consider that the assessment of epidemiological situations varies from one State to another.
“How can it be ensured that countries do not apply unilateral measures?” asked José Ramón Bauzá Díaz (Renew Europe, Spain), whose country announced on Saturday that it would allow tourist arrivals as early as July.
An interactive map, not certification. “Why doesn't the Commission immediately put new tools in place?”, insisted the Chair of the TRAN committee, Karima Delli, pleading in particular for the certification of tourist establishments.
The latter solution had already been submitted to the Commission by the S&D before the publication of the guidelines (see EUROPE 12483/5) and was also discussed at a meeting of the EPP group in the European Parliament on Wednesday (see EUROPE 12494/11).
"We are not ruling this out, but given the complexity of the process and the diversity of current situations, it is not likely to happen before the summer. But we are promoting this solution at a national level,” Tokarski said.
Slawomir Tokarski was more optimistic about the website promised by the Commission to ensure that tourists have access to the information they need to travel in the EU. The site, called ReopenEU, could be up and running “within two to three weeks.”
Increased financial support. Finally, MEPs called for increased immediate financial support for tourism and transport.
István Ujhelyi (Hungary), speaking on behalf of the S&D, reiterated his group's wish for a guarantee fund for tourism. A proposal laid out in a document (available here: https://bit.ly/2M8L4Ot ) that the group will adopt before the June plenary session.
As for the budget proposal and the recovery plan presented by the Commission on Wednesday (see EUROPE 12494/1), they will be the subject of an exchange of views at the next meeting of the TRAN Committee on 8 June.
However, Ms Delli told the press that she regretted “that the Commission had not shown any ambition with regard to transport”. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)