The European travel and tourism industry, represented in particular by Hotrec, is concerned about the proposed increase in costs resulting from the ETIAS travel authorisation system.
On 16 July, the European Commission proposed increasing the fees for this new system for verifying the information of travellers who do not need a visa to enter the EU from €7 to €20 per application, “nearly a threefold increase compared to the original amount agreed in 2018” (see EUROPE 13683/10).
The proposed fee increase “raises questions about proportionality and fairness at a time when Europe’s tourism sector continues to face the combined pressures of geopolitical instability, high inflation, and rising operational costs. While the fee may represent a small fraction of overall travel expenses, the cumulative impact on families is not negligible, not least given the broader context of increasing overnight taxes”.
This increase “appears disproportionate and runs counter to the original intention of the co-legislators who agreed to a modest and reasonable fee during the 2018 negotiations - a key outcome supported by the travel and tourism sector”.
Link to the position paper: https://aeur.eu/f/hzl (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)