The Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council has produced a revised version of its draft conclusions on the future of tourism in Europe for the next ten years (see EUROPE 12680/12). The EU Council’s Competitiveness and Growth Working Group will discuss the document on Wednesday 5 May.
Thus, this new version of the draft conclusions keeps the majority of its proposals unchanged, emphasising the exchange of good practice between Member States on sustainable tourism policies.
Furthermore, while the text calls for additional measures to improve the quality of tourism services and to make them more innovative, environmentally friendly, and resilient, the document also introduces the notion of respect for “natural, social and cultural values and the well-being of local communities, particularly those in less developed areas”.
The draft conclusions of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council also invite the European Commission to launch, by September 2021 at the latest, a comprehensive overview of the funding available for tourism in the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework and the resources available under the Next Generation EU Recovery Plan.
In contrast, the previous version of the text asked the Commission for a detailed approach to the tourism ecosystem chapter by the end of the first quarter of 2022, with actions and financing tools, following the presentation of the European Industrial Strategy review (see EUROPE 12711/13). This point has been removed from the new version.
Although the volume of urban and business tourism has grown considerably in recent years, the latest version of the document recognises that the future of this sector will need to be part of the European agenda in the short to medium term.
Similarly, the revised text now includes sustainable coastal and maritime tourism in the tourism and ‘blue economy’ ecosystem. The smooth functioning of this segment of the tourism sector depends on close cooperation between national, regional and local authorities and the maritime sector.
Tourism, which must be considered horizontal as it has an impact on many other areas, represents almost 10% of European GDP and some 11.7 million jobs. Hard hit by the Covid-19 health crisis, the Portuguese Presidency recalls by way of introduction to its draft conclusions that tourism has “the highest needs for investment of the 14 industrial ecosystems and the lowest confidence indicator”. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)