Amended proposal for a Council Decision on a first multiannual programme to assist European tourism - Philoxenia (1997 to 2000)
Date: 1996-12-04
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU policy, action programme, competitiveness, economic growth, tourism

COMMISSION  OF THE EUROPEAN  COMMUNITIES 

* 6* 

Brussels,  04  12 1996 
COM(%) 635  final 

96/0127  (CNS ) 

Amended  proposal  for  a 

COUNCIL  DECISION 

on a First Multiannual Programme to Assist European Tourism 
"PHILOXENIA" 
(1997-2000) 

(presented  by  the Commission  pursuant  to Article  189 a (2) 
of the  EC-Treaty) 

Explanatory  Memorandum 

The  Commission  is  presenting,  under  article  189  a  (2)  of  the  EC  Treaty,  a  modified 
proposal  with a view to take account of the  legislative  resolution  embodying the  European 
Parliament's  opinion1  on  the  Commission's  proposal2  for  a  Council  Decision  on  a  First 
Multiannual  Programme to Assist European Tourism  "PHILOXENIA" (1997-2000). 

The  Commission  welcomes  Parliaments* legislative  resolution  on  its  Programme  proposal 
which endorses structure and objectives of the Programme. 

The  Commission  now  incorporates  into  a  revised  text  of  the  Programme  proposal  those 
amendments  put  forward  by  the  European  Parliament  which  underline  some  specific 
concerns  without  affecting  scope  and  coherence  of  the  Programme.  New  references  have 
been  introduced  with  regard  to the recognition  of tourism  as an  industry  and  to its role in 
contributing  to  the  achievement  of  the  Community's  objectives.  Account  has  been  taken 
also  of  the  need  to  rely  on  the  recent  Council  Resolution3  of  13  May  1996  on  Euro-
Mediterranean  cooperation  in  the  tourism  sector  and  on  the  Council  Directive4  of  23 
November  1995  on  the  collection  of  statistical  information,  which  are  now  clearly 
mentioned  in  the  Programme  proposed.  In  addition,  the  dissemination  of  tourism 
information  is  now  explicitly  included  in  one  of the  immediate  objective  of the  proposal. 
These modifications  do not have financial  implication. 

The objectives  sought in some of the other amendments proposed  by the Parliament can be 
achieved  under the Commission's  proposal  and in liaison with the implementation  of other 
Community  programmes  and  actions  but  their  introduction  could  affect  the  clarity  of  the 
Programme's  goals  due  to  the  level  of  detail  introduced.  This  is  the  case  for  the 
amendments  related  to  the  structural  characteristics  of tourism  businesses,  to  training  and 
employment, to fighting  against child sex tourism. 

The Commission  has not  been  able to accept  neither the  remaining  amendments  proposed 
by the Parliament because they conflict  with the principle of subsidiarity, as stated in article 
3 B of the EC Treaty, or with the rules governing the exercise of the implementing  powers 
conferred  on  the  Commission  as  defined  in  Council  Decision  87/373/EC5  or,  affecting 
scope and nature  of the Commission's  proposal, could  compromise  the effectiveness  of  its 
implementation. 

1 
2 
3 
4 
5 

Opinion adopted 25.10.1996. EP A4  -0298/96 
OJ C 222, 31,7,1996, p,9 
OJ No C 155. 30.05.1996. p.l 
OJ No L 291. 6.12.1995. p.32. 
OJ No L 197.  18.7.1987. p. 33. 

Amended  proposal  for  a 

COUNCIL  DECISION 
on a First Multiannual Programme to Assist European Tourism 
"PHILOXENIA" 
(1997-2000) 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Community,  and  in  particular 
Article 235 thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from  the Commission6, 

Having regard to the opinion of the European  Parliament7, 

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee8, 

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions9, 

Whereas, owing to the growing importance and to the nature of tourism  it is recognized that 
it can contribute to the achievement  of the objectives of the Community and in particular to 
growth  and employment,  to the reinforcement  of economic  and  social  cohesion,  especially 
in the  least  favoured  regions  and  in outermost  and  island  regions, and  to the promotion  of 
European  identity; 

Whereas tourism  has  still  not sufficiently  received  the overall  recognition  as an industry  it 
merits: 

Whereas  Community  measures  should  stimulate  quality  and  competitiveness  of 
European tourism,  integrating  at  the  same  time  the  satisfaction  of  tourists'  needs  and  the 
rational  use  of  natural,  infrastractural  and  cultural  resources,  thus  contributing  to  the 
balanced and sustainable development of tourism; 

the  Council  adopted  Decision  92/421/EEC10  on  a 
Whereas  on  13  July  1992 
Community action  plan  to  assist  tourism  (1993-1995),  which  expired  on  31  December 
1995; 

Whereas,  in  the  framework  of  that  Decision,  the  Commission  has  submitted  to  the 
the 
European  Parliament, 
Committee of the  Regions  annual  reports  on  Community  measures  affecting  tourism  for 
1993 and 1994; 

the  Economic  and  Social  Committee  and 

the  Council, 

Whereas,  in  the  framework  of  that  Decision,  the  Commission  has  submitted  to  the 
European Parliament, 
the 
Committee of the  Regions  an  evaluation  report,  including  an  external  audit,  on  the 
implementation  of the Action Plan to Assist Tourism; 

the  Council,  the  Economic  and  Social  Committee  and 

Opinion adopted 25.10.1996. EP A4  -0298/96 
Opinion adopted 26.9.1996, ESC 817/96 
Opinion adopted  14.11.1996. COR 302/96. 
OJ No L 231, 13.8.1992, p.26. 

9 
10 

Whereas the Commission has adopted a Green Paper on the role of the Union in the field of 
tourism, stimulating a deep and wide consultation process, whose conclusions presented on 
the  occasion  of  the  Forum  on  European  Tourism  of  8 December  1995  show  that  a 
consensus  does exist  as to the desirability  of ensuring the continuity  of Community  action 
in the field  of tourism, the need to rationalize it and the possibility of deepening it; 

in 

the  European  Parliament, 

its  Resolutions  of  18 January  1994^, 
Whereas 
15 December  199412, and  13 February  1996", and the Economic and Social Committee, in 
its  initiative  opinion  of  15  September  199414  and  its  Opinion  of  14 September  19951s, 
have confirmed  the need to strengthen Community action to assist tourism  and have called 
for  a  genuine  medium-  and  long-term  tourism  strategy;  whereas  the  Committee  of  the 
Regions,  in  its  Opinion  of  16 November  199516 takes the  view  that  a more  active, better 
coordinated  Community  contribution  is necessary  to  cope  with  the  dynamic  development 
of tourism and the scope of tourist activities; 

Whereas  it  is  essential  that  there  should  be  coherence  and  complementarity  between  the 
actions  to  be  carried  out  under  this  programme  and  the  other  relevant  Community 
programmes and initiatives affecting  tourism; 

Whereas  the  Commission  is  to  be  assisted  by  the  Advisory  Committee  established  by 
Council Decision  86/664/EEC17;  whereas,  accordingly,  the  Committee  set  up  by  Article 
3(2) of Decision 92/421/EEC should be abolished; 

Whereas the measures set out in this Decision, complying with the principle of subsidiarity 
established  by  the  second  paragraph  of  Article  3b  of  the  Treaty,  contribute  -  through 
cooperation  and  coordination  - added  value  to  efforts  pursued  by  interested  parties  at  the 
local,  regional,  national  and  international  level,  thus  allowing  European  tourism  to 
overcome its weaknesses and to exploit its vast potential; 

Whereas the  improvement  of knowledge  in  the  field  of tourism  should  be  fostered  by the 
Community  in order to  enable  decision  makers to  improve the planning  of their  strategies 
and to assess the impact of their implementation; 

Whereas  a  legislative  and  financial  environment  conducive  to  tourism  should  be  secured, 
through reinforced  cooperation, in order to foster the performance  of European tourism; 

Whereas  quality  in  European  tourism  should  be  enhanced  by  the  Community  through 
innovative schemes and incentives, with a view to the promotion of sustainable tourism and 
to the removal of obstacles to its development; 

Whereas the promotion  of  Europe  as a tourist  destination  should  contribute  to  an  increase 
in the number of tourists from third countries; 

Whereas,  due  to  the  importance  of  tourism  for  the  associated  countries  of  Central  and 
Eastern Europe  as  well  as  for  Cyprus  and  Malta,  this  programme  is  to  be  open  to 
those countries; 

Whereas  in  accordance  with  the  Council  Resolution  of  13  May  1996  on  Euro-
Mediterranean  cooperation  in  the  tourist  sector1^,  special  attention  will  be  paid  to  the 
actions and initiatives taken in the field  of tourism in the framework  of Euro-Mediterranean 

11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 

OJ  No  C  4 4,  1 4 . 2 . 1 9 9 4,  p.  6 1. 
OJ  No  C  1 8,  2 3 . 1 . 1 9 9 5,  p.  1 5 9. 
OJ  No  C  6 5.  4 . 3 . 1 9 9 6,  p.  3 4. 
OJ  No  C  3 9 3,  3 1 . 1 2 . 1 9 9 4,  p.  1 6 8. 
OJ  No  C  3 0 1,  1 3 . 1 1 . 1 9 9 5,  p.  6 8. 
OJ  No 
OJ  No  L  3 8 4,  3 1 . 1 2 . 1 9 8 6,  p.  5 2. 
OJ  No  C  1 5 5.  3 0 . 0 5 . 1 9 9 6. 

p .l 

cooperation, as reflected  in the Barcelona  declaration  and  work  programme  adopted  on 27 
and 28 November 1995; 

Whereas, taking  into  account  the  evaluation  on the  implementation  of the previous  action 
plan  to  assist  tourism  and  of  the  Community  experience  gained  to  date  in  this  field,  it  is 
therefore  necessary to adopt a multiannual  programme for a four-year  period  and to  endow 
it with sufficient  resources to attain its objectives; 

Whereas the Treaty provides no powers other than those in Article 235 for the adoption  of 
this Decision, 

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 

Article 1 

A Multiannual  Programme to Assist European  Tourism  (PHILOXENIA)  is hereby  adopted 
for a period of four years from  1  January  1997. 

Article 2 

1. 

The  programme  referred  to  in  Article  1,  incorporating  the  actions  specified  in  the 
Annex  shall,  through  coordination  and  cooperation,  seek  generally  to  stimulate  the 
quality and competitiveness of European tourism, in order to contribute to growth and 
employment. 

The specific objectives of the programme are the  following: 

to improve knowledge in the field  of tourism; 

to improve the legislative and financial environment for tourism; 

to raise the quality of European tourism; 

to increase the number of tourists from  third countries. 

2. 

The  budget  authority  shall  determine  the  appropriations  available  for  each  financial 
year. 

Article 3 

1.  Criteria  for  granting  Community  financial  aid,  other  than  those  stated  in  the 

second paragraph of Article 3b of the Treaty, shall include those relating to: 

cost-efficiency; 

a partnership approach, as far as possible of trans-national character; 

a  significant  impact  on  Community  tourism  or,  at  least,  transferability  at  this 
level; 

regard for the principle of sustainable development. 

2. 

The  actions  shall  be  implemented  through  coordination  with  the  national  authorities 
and,  if  necessary,  with  the  regional  and/or  local  authorities  as  well,  so  as  to  take 
account of the importance of tourism  for regional and/or local  development. 

Article 4 

The following  shall  be adopted  in accordance  with the procedure  defined  in Article  5(2): 

the priorities for  the selection of actions; 

the procedures  for  the submission  of requests  for  Community  assistance; 

in  exceptional  circumstances,  the  Community  assistance  to  be  granted  for  actions 
other than  those  listed  in the Annex, when  they meet the objectives  set out in Article  2 
and are compatible  with the priorities  referred  to in the  first  indent. 

1. 

2. 

1. 

2. 

Article 5 

The  Commission  shall  be  assisted  by  the  Advisory  Committee  in  the  field  of  tourism 
set  up  by  Decision  86/664/EEC.  The  committee  set  up  by  Article  3(2)  of 
Decision  92/421/EEC  is  abolished. 

The  representative  of  the  Commission  shall  submit  to  the  committee  a  draft  of  the 
measures  to  be  taken.  The  committee  shall  deliver  its  opinion  on  the  draft,  within  a 
time-limit  which  the  chairman  may  lay  down  according  to  the  urgency  of  the  matter, 
if necessary  by taking  a vote. 

The  opinion  shall  be  recorded  in  the  minutes;  in  addition,  each  Member  State  shall 
have the right to ask to have  its position  recorded  in the  minutes. 

The  Commission  shall  take  the  utmost  account  of  the  opinion  delivered  by  the 
committee.  It shall  inform  the  committee  of the  manner  in  which  its opinion  has  been 
taken  into  account. 

Article  6 

This  programme  shall  be  open  to  the  participation  of  the  associated  countries  of 
Central  and  Eastern  Europe  in  accordance  with  the  conditions  laid  down  in  the 
additional  protocols  to  the  association  agreements  on  participation  in  Community 
programmes to be concluded  with those  countries. 

This  programme  shall  be  open  to  Cyprus  and  Malta  on  the  basis  of  additional 
appropriations 
the 
EFTA  countries  being  parties  to the  EEA  Agreement,  in  accordance  with  procedures 
to be agreed  with those  countries. 

in  accordance  with  the  same  rules  as  those  applicable 

to 

Article  7 

Every  year  from  the  date  of  adoption  of  the  programme,  the  Commission  shall  present  the 
principal  measures  affecting 
tourism  which  have  been  adopted  or  carried  out  by 
the  Community,  in  a  report  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  Economic  and 
Social  Committee  and  the  Committee  of the  Regions. 

Article 8 

The  Commission  shall  regularly  evaluate  the  results  of  the  programme.  This 
.valuation 
shall  include  wherever  possible  the  measurable  results  of  the  programme  and  sha'J  observe 
the  criteria  set  out  in  Article  3.  On  the  basis  of  this  evaluation  process,  the  Commission 

shall  present  to  the  European  Parliament  and  to  the  Council  -  and  for  information  to  the 
Economic  and  Social  Committee  and  to  the  Committee  of  the  Regions  -  an  interim  report, 
no  later  than  three  years  from  the  beginning  of  the  programme,  and  a  final  report  wilhin 
twelve  months  from  the end  of the  programme. 

Done at Brussels, 

For the  Council 
The  President 

ACTIONS IN FAVOUR OF EUROPEAN TOURISM 

ANNEX 

A. 

Improving knowledge in the field of tourism 

A.l  Developing tourism related  information 

Consolidation  of  the  European  statistical  system  for  tourism  developed  by 
Directive  95/57/EC^.  improving  the  availability  of  reliable  and  up-to-date 
statistics. 

Development of surveys, studies and desk/field  analyses, taking into account the 
tourism industry needs. 

A.2  Disseminating tourism information  and pooling information  from other sources 

Establishment of a European research and documentation network on tourism. 

A.3  Facilitating the assessment of Community measures affecting  tourism 

Establishment  of  a  legal  and  financial  watch  allowing  for  the  systematic 
assessment of Community measures affecting  tourism. 

B. 

Improving the legislative and financial  environment for tourism 

B.l.  Reinforcing  cooperation  with  Member  States,  the  Industry  and  other 

stakeholders 

Organization  and  follow-up  of  regular  meetings  with  the  parties  concerned,  to 
reinforce  cooperation  at  European  level  and  to  raise  awareness  of  Community 
initiatives (technical/thematic meetings, round-tables, European fora). 

C.  Raising quality in European tourism 

C.l.  Promoting sustainable tourism 

Support  for  local  initiatives geared towards sound management  of visitor  flows 
and encouragement of their networking. 

Support  for  the  implementation  of  environmentally  friendly  management 
systems in tourist accommodations. 

Organization  of  a  "European  Prize  for  Tourism  and  Environment"  (every 
two years). 

C.2  Removing obstacles to tourism  development 

Identification  of  the  principal  obstacles  at  European  level  faced  by  various 
forms  of  tourism  as  well  as  by  specific  categories  of  tourists  (such  as  young 
people, the elderly and disabled  people), development of appropriate responses. 

19 

OJ  No  L  2 9 1.  6 . 1 2 . 1 9 9 5. 

p . 3 2. 

D. 

Increasing the number of tourists from third countries 

D.l  Promoting Europe as a tourist destination 

Support  for  multiannual  promotional  campaigns  in  major  issuing  countries 
and/or emerging zones, with the support of participating sponsors. 

ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(96) 635  final 

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Catalogue number  :  CB-CO-96-632-EN-C 

ISBN  92-78-12910-0 

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