A motion for a resolution involving the EPP, S&D, Renew Europe, the Greens/EFA and the GUE/NGL, on ‘Transport and tourism in 2020 and beyond’, will be put to the vote in the European Parliament plenary session this Friday, 19 June.
The motion consists of a series of recommendations aimed primarily at supporting the two sectors, which have been weakened considerably by the crisis, and at restoring travellers' confidence so that holidays in Europe can resume and losses can be minimised.
The signatories to the motion present the current crisis as an opportune time to invest in more sustainable transport infrastructure and as a “historic opportunity” to modernise the tourism industry.
Resumption of travel to the EU
MEPs believe that resuming international travel will help to revive the EU's tourism and transport industry, so they are calling on the Commission and Member States to consider lifting restrictions on tourists from outside the EU (see EUROPE 12504/1) and, they say, to do so while “taking into account the epidemiological situation in each respective third country”.
In order to attract an increased flow of international tourists to Europe, they also invite the Commission to assess the possibility of introducing an online visa application procedure, “while at the same time retaining the strong protection provided by European borders”.
With regard to travel within the EU, the political groups call for ‘tourist corridors’ between neighbouring countries to be avoided, something Croatia and Austria would like to see established (see EUROPE 12484/1). They are concerned that routes of this nature will exacerbate the difficulties faced by those countries that are particularly affected by the crisis.
Certifying facilities and issuing vouchers
The desire to create a certification procedure to guarantee the health and safety of tourist facilities in the EU was also reiterated. However, the Commission does not believe that introducing this process - initially put forward by the S&D (see EUROPE 12483/5) and then by the EPP (see EUROPE 12494/11) - is feasible before the summer (see EUROPE 12495/19).
On the contentious matter of vouchers issued for cancelled flights or trips (see EUROPE 12486/7), MEPs call on the Commission to propose common European rules on the conditions for issuing vouchers of this type, which must be “always conditional on their voluntary acceptance by consumers”.
MEPs also suggest that the Commission should investigate the possibility of setting up a European Travel Guarantee scheme - another S&D proposal (see EUROPE 12473/4) - to ensure that companies have sufficient financial liquidity in times of crisis.
MEPs do not rule out the possibility of a “second wave” the Covid-19 epidemic: they call on the Commission to put in place “clear guidelines and preparedness action plans” in anticipation of just such a scenario.
“New strategy for tourism”
Lastly, the motion for a resolution recommends implementing a “genuine European tourism policy”: it calls on the Commission to mobilise more funds, including in the short term, and to adopt “a new strategy and action plan for EU tourism in 2021”, using the outcomes of the upcoming European summit on tourism (see EUROPE 12471/6).
MEPs believe that the industry cannot be re-launched without promotion of sustainable tourism, and without contributions to job creation, protection of natural ecosystems and biodiversity, and to growth and competitiveness.
The crisis currently facing tourism businesses across Europe was also debated in the European Parliament on Wednesday evening, with Commission representatives present. EUROPE will continue to follow this story.
To read the full proposal, go to: https://bit.ly/2Y5T6yz (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)