Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697750708830.pdf (Ireland)
TITHE AN OIREACHTAS AN COMHCHOISTE UM IOMPAR AGUS CUMARSÁID Tuarascáil maidir le EANÁIR 2015 _______________ HOUSES OF THE OIREACHTAS JOINT COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS Report of Inter-parliamentary Conference on ‘Challenges of Sustainable Tourism: Promoting Cultural Heritage and Environment Protection’ Croatia JANUARY 2015 Background At its meeting of 16 April 2014 the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications agreed that the Chairman, Deputy John O’Mahony together with one Government and one opposition member would travel to Croatia from 10 to 13 September for an Inter-Parliamentary Conference on sustainable tourism.
In that regard the Chairman, Deputy O’Mahony, Deputy Dooley and Deputy Harrington have a particular interest in ensuring the continued success of the Irish tourism product while also being cognisant of the need for sustainability in the sector.

The Delegation The Chairman of the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications, Deputy John O’Mahony (FG) (Chairman), Deputy Timmy Dooley and Deputy Noel Harrington travelled to Croatia accompanied by the Clerk to the Committee, Mr. Pat Haran.
Deputy Patrick O’Donovan had been due to travel but, due to unforeseen personal circumstances was obliged to withdraw from the visit to Croatia and was replaced by Deputy Noel Harrington.

This Report was formally agreed by the Committee at its meeting held on Wednesday, 21 January 2015.

Report 1.
Report 1.

Venues The first European Inter-parliamentary Conference “Challenges of Sustainable Tourism: Promoting Cultural Heritage and Environment Protection” took place in Zagreb and Mali Lošinj, Croatia from 10 to 13 September 2014.

The Conference was organised by the Croatian Parliament.

2.
Attendance As well as Ireland, the Conference was attended by the Chairpersons and Members of tourism committees in the National Parliaments of Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Great Britain and Turkey, diplomatic representatives of Bulgaria, Lithuania, Hungary, Macedonia, Germany and Poland, as well as representatives of the European Parliament, European Commission, UN World Tourist Organisation, other international tourist organisations and experts in the field of environmental protection and cultural heritage.
3.

Conference background and themes The Committee on Tourism of the Croatian Parliament launched this initiative immediately after Croatia's accession to the European Union in July 2013, and this was welcomed and accepted by a number of other national parliaments in Europe.
The conference was chaired by Mr. Goran Beus Richembergh, Chairman of the Committee on Tourism of the Croatian Parliament, and co-chaired by Mr. Guglielmo Epifani, Chairman of the Committee on Production, Trade and Tourism of the House of Representatives of the Italian Parliament.
The first part of the Conference on 10 and 11 September 2014 was held in the Croatian Parliament in Zagreb with the delegation moving to the island of Mali Losinj for the latter part of the conference which took place on 12 September.
The official opening of the Conference by Mr. Josip Leko, Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, was also attended by the Deputy Speakers of the Croatian Parliament, the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, the Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Croatia, the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, the Deputy Minister of Environmental and Nature Protection and the Chairman of the Education, Science and Culture Committee of the Croatian Parliament.
The main objective of the conference on Sustainable Tourism was to promote cooperation between EU Member States and the neighbouring countries through the exchange of experiences in, and information about, legislative practices.
The conference also sought to highlight the role of tourism in the development of national economies, the need to constantly strengthen sustainable tourism concepts and the affirmation of concrete practice in the responsible use of cultural heritage and environment protection as parts of this concept.

Croatia presented several examples of good practice in the island of Losinj, viz.
the construction of the Apoxyomenos Museum and the work of the Blue World Institute, which is focused on the protection of endangered marine species and brings together young scientists in the field of environmental protection.

The island of Losinj was identified as a health and cultural tourist destination.
One of the objectives of the conference organisers was that the event would evolve into an annual parliamentary event that would gather parliamentarians from all EU Member States so as to give greater prominence to the common European tourism development policy as, in a large number of European countries, tourism is a very important driver of economic development, generating a significant share of GDP.
The Greek delegation acknowledged this initiative and announced at the closing of the Conference that the Hellenic Parliament will host and organise the second European Conference on Sustainable Tourism in 2015.

In his address to the conference, Deputy O’Mahony, in his role as Chairman of the Irish Committee with responsibility for tourism, had outlined the history of tourism, particularly as it had developed in Ireland and its contribution to the Irish and world economies.
He proceeded to outline ‘the Gathering’ initiative which had been such a success for the Irish government, touching on the huge impact emigration had played in the country’s history.

His address also covered the impact climate change, environmental protection and infrastructural development have on tourism.

The importance of sustainable tourism, which allows a community to diversify their resources of income, was highlighted as was support for cultural diversity.
In concluding, Deputy O’Mahony paid tribute to Croatia’s unspoilt coastline, the diversity of its vast number of islands and the culture and history of its cities which made Zagreb a particularly appropriate location for this inaugural conference.

Deputies Dooley and Harrington, together with the Chairman, contributed to the various discussions which took place following presentations and also played full parts in the panel discussions.
The main themes that emerged in the addresses and debates at the conference were as follows: a) Today, tourism represents a synthesis of different economic branches as a cross-sectorial industry and a lifestyle of many people, and is significantly marked and conditioned by globalisation processes.

In addition to the ICT sector, it is one of the fastest growing industries in the world and one of the important income sources in many countries.
it b) Long ago tourism stopped being the privilege of the elite travelling to find diversity and became the possibility of every human being to exercise his/her right to freedom of movement, giving him/her the learn much more about other cultures and opportunity to civilisations and respect them more.

that c) European countries have different experiences tourism development.
While some countries and regions faced on this road many challenges in excessive urbanisation, exploitation of resources, endangering of the cultural and especially architectural heritage, environment pollution and disorders of the biodiversity system, some other countries started applying principles and standards of sustainable development in time and generate long-term benefits from a balanced social development.
resulted in d) Interdisciplinary, cross-sectorial nature of tourism provides a huge array of topics dealt with by business, academic and governance sectors.

Sustainable tourism takes part in many various EU bodies and can be traced in areas promoted by the 2020 strategy as the Flagship initiatives (resource efficiency, innovation, youth, digital agenda, jobs…).
Based on the current diffusion of sustainable tourism practices and the EU goals related to it, the Conference participants fell that some form of focal point is needed in order to make knowledge disseminated and policies more effective in achieving "smart, sustainable, inclusive growth".
e) A responsible approach of all tourism development stakeholders that implies observing of the principles of sustainable tourism can contribute to European countries' coming out of the recession and to the return of both the European Union and its surrounding to sustainable economic growth and social prosperity.
f) The creators of national development policies in the EU, including parliaments which set the legislative frameworks, do not make use to a sufficient extent of their possibilities of operating with synergy effect as provided by the Lisbon Treaty.

Their cooperation and harmonisation of practices could open new perspectives to development project holders in presenting Europe as a unique destination in other markets.
g) The idea of holding inter-parliamentary conferences is an important tool for the coordination of development policies of the countries of the European Union as the single market and of its surrounding, especially with respect to candidate countries and countries developing their European perspective.
h) Setting up a modern framework, encouraging entrepreneurship tourism sector, developing human resources and simplifying administrative procedures provides the possibility of improving a quality tourist product.

institutional the in i) Care for the environment, preserving local traditions, organic farming and regional interconnection of the tourist offer represent the basis for combined job creation, sustainable living, environment protection, acceptable preservation of traditions and landscapes.
Sustainable tourism not only develops the sector, but it also develops local people and their assets in a sustainable manner, it encourages ecological development, ecological agriculture and fisheries, keeps rural areas alive and preserves and protects the environment and the heritage.
local j) Sustainable tourism can and should reduce the adverse effects of tourism development on the community and the environment to a minimum so as to produce a positive impact on the local economy, nature protection and affirmation of cultural heritage and to improve the quality of life of the domestic population and visitors.

Enacting good laws is the basis of sustainable tourism.

4.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS On the basis of the debates between representatives of national parliaments and experts in the field of protection of cultural heritage and environment as well as the representatives of international organisations, the Conference Chairmanship adopted the following conclusions and recommendations: a) European countries while respecting their individual uniqueness and in keeping with their previous different experiences, can develop tourism more successfully on the basis of common and harmonised policies, cross-border projects and regional initiatives with the aim of achieving sustainable tourism, but also sustainable development as a whole.
b) Knowledge pooling, education and expert exchange, active exchange of experiences and harmonisation of legislative initiatives for setting up European standards of preservation and protection of cultural and environmental heritage can help, on a long-term basis, to improve the European practice both at a professional and political level.

The active involvement of European institutions in this process has proved to be important for its future.
c) The relationship between tourism and the environment and cultural heritage, redefining of sustainability of development and the importance of sustainable and responsible tourism for the overall development should be the priorities when contemplating development policies and strategies in tourism.

The care and promotion of heritage (natural, traditional, culinary, linguistic, historical, architectural, cultural etc.)

provides room for launching new and responsible entrepreneurial initiatives.
The implementation of such initiatives would create possibilities for new jobs, especially for the employment of young people of various professions who would use their knowledge to interpret and protect heritage.

d) National Parliaments and Governments are advised to take into consideration the huge importance of strengthening cross- sectoral cooperation between tourism and culture when operating and proposing legislative initiatives.
Tourism can contribute to the creation of jobs, but it cannot act autonomously without continuous and responsible care for cultural values and heritage at a destination.

Tourism can contribute to culture in various ways, one of them being the tourist presentation of cultural heritage, especially in places that have been proclaimed world heritage sites by the UNESCO.
On the other hand, culture can also contribute to tourism through the development of new forms of tourist offer, cultural routes or digitalisation of cultural heritage in the form of tourist products.

UNWTO and UNESCO have already taken this direction by signing a Memorandum of Understanding in 2013, thereby committing themselves to joint activities in national, regional and global initiatives in the fields of sustainable tourism and preservation of natural and cultural heritage.
e) In many countries of the Mediterranean belt witnessing greater requirements from a growing number of tourists, significant adverse effects can be observed in the coastal zones.

These primarily include changes to the landscapes, water pollution and over-exploitation of natural resources.
In order to avoid such effects, it is recommended that an integrated coastal zone management be implemented, through pooling the efforts and capacities of regional and local communities and coordinating tourism development plans, spatial planning and environmental protection measures.

To this end the Conference emphasised the importance of applying Protocol No.
7 of the Barcelona Convention from 2008, addressing in particular the issue of integrated coastal zone management in the Mediterranean and featuring guidelines and recommendations that are important for the protection and sustainable management of coastal zones.

f) The Conference drew the attention of all the relevant national, regional and local administrations to the great importance of the implementation of integrated policies that create the conditions for capacity building of the ‘blue economy’.
Parts of the ‘blue economy’, such as tourism, energy, fisheries, shipbuilding and transportation, employ, according to data from 2012, around 5.4 million people, with a potential for further growth to 7 million jobs by 2020, which is where the opportunity should be seen for development in general.

g) Regional cooperation plays a crucial role in the development of tourism.

Some advantages of EU membership are easier access to the EU funds and common market.
In this sense, all Member States are recommended to make efforts that will allow maximum use of the resources provided, and the countries that are in the process of negotiations on EU membership are these recommended development opportunities.
timely prepare the use of for to h) High standards of environmental and nature protection must not be an obstacle for the development of tourism, a reason to impair the quality of life, or an excuse for administrations in hindering the development of entrepreneurship.

They must be the basis for a proactive policy of sustainable and responsible development for the benefit and in the interests of the local population.
Initiatives for sustainable development are expected primarily from the local level because local communities can recognize best both development opportunities and potential negative impacts of uncontrolled development of tourism infrastructure and facilities.
i) Respecting the impact and consequences of climate changes that have caused unpredictable whether situations and threatened seasonal tourist offerings in recent years, the Conference recommended that all stakeholders in tourism encourage a diversity of tourist products and services by developing special or specific forms of tourism featuring year-round instead of seasonal characteristics.
In this sense, it is recommended that all countries should copy the good practices of those countries that have introduced innovations in the concept of destination management which is also advocated by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

TERMS OF REFERENCE a.


Functions of the Committee – derived from Standing Orders [DSO 82A; SSO 70A] (1) The Select Committee shall consider and report to the Dáil on— (a) such aspects of the expenditure, administration and policy of the relevant Government Department or Departments and associated public bodies as the Committee may select, and (b) European Union matters within the remit of the relevant Department or Departments.
(2) The Select Committee may be joined with a Select Committee appointed by Seanad Éireann to form a Joint Committee for the purposes of the functions set out below, other than at paragraph (3), and to report thereon to both Houses of the Oireachtas.
(3) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1), the Select Committee shall consider, in respect of the relevant Department or Departments, such— (a) Bills, (b) proposals contained in any motion, including any motion within the meaning of Standing Order 164, (c) Estimates for Public Services, and (d) other matters as shall be referred to the Select Committee by the Dáil, and (e) Annual Output Statements, and (f) such Value for Money and Policy Reviews as the Select Committee may select.
(4) The Joint Committee may consider the following matters in respect of the relevant Department or Departments and associated public bodies, and report thereon to both Houses of the Oireachtas: (a) matters of policy for which the Minister is officially responsible, (b) public affairs administered by the Department, (c) policy issues arising from Value for Money and Policy Reviews conducted or commissioned by the Department, (d) Government policy in respect of bodies under the aegis of the Department, (e) policy issues concerning bodies which are partly or wholly funded by the State or which are established or appointed by a member of the Government or the Oireachtas, (f) the general scheme or draft heads of any Bill published by the Minister, (g) statutory instruments, including those laid or laid in draft before either House or both Houses and those made under the European Communities Acts 1972 to 2009, (h) strategy statements laid before either or both Houses of the Oireachtas pursuant to the Public Service Management Act 1997, (i) annual reports or annual reports and accounts, required by law, and laid before either or both Houses of the Oireachtas, of the Department or bodies referred to in paragraph (4)(d) and (e) and the overall operational results, statements of strategy and corporate plans of such bodies, and (j) such other matters as may be referred to it by the Dáil and/or Seanad from time to time.
(5) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1), the Joint Committee shall consider, in respect of the relevant Department or Departments— (a) EU draft legislative acts standing referred to the Select Committee under Standing Order 105, including the compliance of such acts with the principle of subsidiarity, (b) other proposals for EU legislation and related policy issues, including programmes and guidelines prepared by the European Commission as a basis of possible legislative action, (c) non-legislative documents published by any EU institution in relation to EU policy matters, and (d) matters listed for consideration on the agenda for meetings of the relevant EU Council of Ministers and the outcome of such meetings.
(6) A sub-Committee stands established in respect of each Department within the remit of the Select Committee to consider the matters outlined in paragraph (3), and the following arrangements apply to such sub- Committees: (a) the matters outlined in paragraph (3) which require referral to the Select Committee by the Dáil may be referred directly to such sub- Committees, and (b) each such sub-Committee has the powers defined in Standing Order 83(1) and (2) and may report directly to the Dáil, including by way of Message under Standing Order 87.
(7) (8) The Chairman of the Joint Committee, who shall be a member of Dáil Éireann, shall also be the Chairman of the Select Committee and of any sub- Committee or Committees standing established in respect of the Select Committee.
The following may attend meetings of the Select or Joint Committee, for the purposes of the functions set out in paragraph (5) and may take part in proceedings without having a right to vote or to move motions and amendments: (a) Members of the European Parliament elected from constituencies in Ireland, including Northern Ireland, (b) Members of the Irish delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and (c) at the invitation of the Committee, other Members of the European Parliament.
b.

Scope and Context of Activities of Committees (as derived from Standing Orders [DSO 82; SSO 70] (1) The Joint Committee may only consider such matters, engage in such activities, exercise such powers and discharge such functions as are specifically authorised under its orders of reference and under Standing Orders.

(2) Such matters, activities, powers and functions shall be relevant to, and shall arise only in the context of, the preparation of a report to the Dáil and/or Seanad.
(3) (4) (5) It shall be an instruction to all Select Committees to which Bills are referred that they shall ensure that not more than two Select Committees shall meet to consider a Bill on any given day, unless the Dáil, after due notice given by the Chairman of the Select Committee, waives this instruction on motion made by the Taoiseach pursuant to Dáil Standing Order 26.

The Chairmen of Select Committees shall have responsibility for compliance with this instruction.
The Joint Committee shall not consider any matter which is being considered, or of which notice has been given of a proposal to consider, by the Committee of Public Accounts pursuant to Dáil Standing Order 163 and/or the Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Act 1993.
The Joint Committee shall refrain from inquiring into in public session or publishing confidential information regarding any matter if so requested, for stated reasons given in writing, by— (a) a member of the Government or a Minister of State, or (b) the principal office-holder of a body under the aegis of a Department or which is partly or wholly funded by the State or established or appointed by a member of the Government or by the Oireachtas: Provided that the Chairman may appeal any such request made to the Ceann Comhairle / Cathaoirleach whose decision shall be final.