WRITTEN QUESTION No. 739/98 by Klaus LUKAS to the Commission. Discrimination against non-ABTA travel agents
Date: 1998-03-18
Institutions: European Parliament, LUKAS
Subjects: Austria, United Kingdom, educational administration, professional association, restriction on competition, right of establishment, sport, teaching, travel, travel agency

9. 10. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 310/121

What steps does the Commission intend to take to allow these wine growers to recover their right to the (cid:145)organic
farming(cid:146) classification?

(1)  OJ L 198, 22.7.1991, p. 1.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(8 April 1998)

The Commission is conducting a detailed investigation of the problem raised by the Honourable Member and
will inform him of the outcome as soon as possible.

(98/C 310/161)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0739/98

by Klaus Lukas (NI) to the Commission

(18 March 1998)

Subject: Discrimination against non-ABTA travel agents

Documents  forwarded  to  me  reveal  serious  discrimination  by  regional  education  authorities  in  the  United
Kingdom against tour operators who do not belong to the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) or do not
have  their  registered  offices  in  the  United  Kingdom.  Teachers  are,  for  example,  instructed  by  these  regional
education authorities on no account to choose non-British tour operators or firms that are not members of ABTA
to arrange a school ski course in Austria. If this instruction is not followed, the course is not approved. This
attitude  is  all  the  more  incomprehensible  as  it  can  hardly  be  argued  that  ABTA  members  provide  (cid:146)better(cid:146)
safeguards for the customer(cid:146)s money since the firm concerned is subject to the Austrian travel agency safeguard
regulation (safeguards for customers(cid:146) money), which is equivalent to the British legislation (Package Travel,
Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992) implementing the same EU directive. To be able to offer
to arrange school ski courses, the Austrian firm concerned tried to join ABTA (despite the substantial increase in
costs this would have entailed). This proved impossible, however, because ABTA(cid:146)s statutes are so worded as de
facto  to  limit  membership  to  British  firms.  The  attitude  of  the  regional  education  authorities,  especially  in
conjunction with the approach adopted by ABTA, is now thwarting all the good intentions associated with the
establishment of the internal market.

1.

Is the Commission aware of these events?

2. What does the Commission think of the attitude taken by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA)
and the British regional education authorities?

3. What  does  the  Commission  intend  to  do  about  the  attitude  taken  by  the  Association  of  British  Travel
Agents (ABTA) and the British regional education authorities in this matter?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(8 May 1998)

The Commission is conducting a detailed investigation of the problem raised by the Honourable Member and
will inform him of the outcome as soon as possible.

(98/C 310/162)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0742/98

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(18 March 1998)

Subject: (cid:145)Western Road Axis(cid:146)

Will the Commission say what progress has been made so far as regards the (cid:145)Western Road Axis(cid:146)? Will it also
say  whether  an  environmental  impact  study  has  been  carried  out  and  what  exactly  it  is  planning,  since  it  is
reported  that  preliminary  work  on  the  road  and  the  process  of  expropriation  have  already  begun,  triggering
protests and accusations?