The own-initiative report by Cláudia Monteiro de Aguiar (EPP, Portugal), on the implementation of a European strategy for sustainable tourism, was approved (47 votes in favour, 2 against), on Thursday 25 February, by the MEPs of the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism.
While the tourism sector - 10% of the EU’s GDP - suffers considerably from the health restrictions imposed in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the adopted text calls, in particular, for a common vaccination certificate to be put in place in the EU, once sufficient evidence has been provided that the vaccinated persons do not transmit the virus.
The meeting of the Heads of State and Government held on Thursday evening showed that the positions of the Member States on this issue are increasingly “converging” (see EUROPE 12666/3). But it will take three months to define a standard, interoperable certificate model, according to the Commission.
In their own-initiative report, MEPs also call for an EU protocol on pre-departure testing and quarantine requirements to be applied as a “last resort”.
They also continue to call for the creation of a European health certification label defining minimum standards for the prevention and control of Covid-19. Such a label, imposed on tourist establishments, for example, would help to restore travellers’ confidence, say MEPs. The project has been defended in the Parliament since May, notably by the S&D and the EPP (see EUROPE 12508/10).
Finally, the idea introduced by Mrs Monteiro de Aguiar in her draft report (see EUROPE 12591/4) to call on the Commission to create a European agency for tourism was maintained. The project to replace the 2010 strategy on European tourism as well.
The text will now be put to a plenary vote, probably at the session scheduled for 24 and 25 March. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)