Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Communication from the Commission — A renewed EU tourism policy: towards a stronger partnership for European tourism COM(2006) 134 final
Date: 2006-12-14
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: European Union, cooperation policy, economic development, job creation, social development, sustainable development, tourism, tourism policy

30.12.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 325/11

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Communication from the
Commission — A renewed EU tourism policy: towards a stronger partnership for European
tourism

COM(2006) 134 final

(2006/C 325/04)

On 17 March 2006, the European Commission decided to consult the European Economic and Social
Committee, under Article 262 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the abovementioned
proposal.

The Section for the Single Market, Production and Consumption, which was responsible for preparing the
Committee's work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 14 November 2006. The rapporteur was Mr
Mendoza, and the co-rapporteur was Mr Barros Vale.

At its 431st plenary session, held on 13 and 14 December 2006 (meeting of 14 December), the European
Economic and Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 75 votes to six with 14 abstentions.

1. Conclusions and recommendations

The European Economic and Social Committee welcomes
1.1
and commends the Commission communication ‘A renewed
EU tourism policy: towards a stronger partnership for
European tourism’ and supports the Commission's pledge to
clearly consolidate tourism policy and strategy for the next few
years.

The Committee appreciates the Commission's effort to
1.2
briefly summarise a large number of documents, opinions and
debates. The result is a satisfactory and clear description for the
general public of this renewed tourism policy.

The Commission is correct to tie this new tourism policy
improving

1.3
in with the renewed Lisbon strategy and to set
competitiveness and sustainability as its objectives.

1.4 We also endorse the challenges identified in the Commis-
sion communication and the proposed means of addressing
them. The proposed approach is for all players to be involved
through various means of collaboration and competitive colla-
boration, and this involvement is considered the cornerstone of
the new tourism policy.

1.5
The Committee considers the Commission's undertaking
to implement this new policy through collaboration, launching
new support measures and coordination between stakeholders
to be appropriate, but believes the specific approach and imple-
menting tools should be more fully developed. The Enterprise
DG must play a more active role and lead the introduction of a
large number of Europe-wide initiatives.

the available financial

The Committee welcomes the Commission's intention to
1.7
improve use of
instruments, but a
proposal is needed for a programme to implement the tourism
objectives, which are accurately identified. As a specific example
in the sphere of social tourism, the Committee feels that there is
already sufficient scope for initiating some cross-border pooling
of experience in the form of a pilot project.

1.8
The Committee has high hopes of the work currently
under way on the European Agenda 21 for Tourism, a docu-
ment that should complete and consolidate the general policy of
sustainability in European tourism. Creating databases of good
practice, in relation both to sustainability and to other factors
such as tourism quality, creativity and competitiveness, are
regarded as appropriate instruments
the Commission
should promote.

that

to statistics,

1.9 With respect
the Committee proposes
setting up a network of tourism observatories that would not
only provide sectoral data, but also provide a strategic and
forward-looking vision and anticipate future action.

The Committee is prepared to continue working on
1.10
tourism along the lines set out in the Commission communica-
tion, and invites the other European institutions, the Member
States, local and regional authorities, and sectoral stakeholders
— companies and trade unions — and the general public to be
involved in understanding and supporting tourism as a universal
right and economic activity with strategic importance for
Europe's future.

2. Commission communication

1.6
The Committee once again proposes and recommends
that this cooperation policy should be further developed by
setting up a European Tourism Board and looking at the
possibilities for establishing a European Tourism Agency.

To better appreciate and understand what
the Commission
wishes to communicate to all European actors and institutions,
we will briefly summarise the text of the communication and
its main points.

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2.1 Tourism and the renewed Lisbon strategy

2.1.1
The challenge of growth and jobs. Section 1 of the
Commission communication links the new European tourism
policy with the need to implement the renewed Lisbon strategy.
The important role currently played by tourism in maintaining
and creating jobs is explicitly recognised, and tourism is rightly
identified as an economic activity whose contribution to full
employment can continue and even increase. The Commission
communication analyses the structure of the sector and points
to the diversity of services and professions involved in its devel-
opment, and the substantial contribution of micro, small and
medium-sized businesses to tourism. The communication notes
that the particular characteristics of tourism favour job flex-
ibility, without ignoring the need for compensatory measures to
safeguard the stability and quality of employment in the sector.

As the Commission points out, tourism plays a key role in Euro-
pean regional development, and the sustainability factor has
positive effects in various economic and social spheres. In this
respect, the European Agenda 21 for Tourism, a Commission
initiative currently in preparation, will certainly serve as an
appropriate guide and instrument ensuring the sustainable
development of tourism.

Another factor to bear in mind in terms of tourism's contribu-
tion to the Lisbon strategy is EU enlargement and its positive
impact on job creation and growth.

However, all this can be achieved only with the participation
and collaboration of all private and public players at every level,
which is the cornerstone of the new European tourism policy
proposed by the Commission.

The challenges facing tourism. The Commission
2.1.2
communication sets out various general challenges for European
tourism which have been created by major changes in European
and global society.

The first challenge relates to population structure, which is
changing radically, so that many more people — especially
people over 50 — will be travelling and tourism will have to
adapt to the new demands of this population group.

Another big challenge is that of new destinations emerging at
global level, making it necessary to adapt products and services
to the new market situation.

Finally, there is the need for tourism to develop under sustain-
able economic, social, environmental and cultural conditions.

The Commission communication notes that improving competi-
tiveness is the appropriate way of addressing these challenges so
as to realise the aims of the Lisbon strategy.

and

Dialogue

collaboration.

2.1.3
The Commission
communication advocates dialogue and collaboration between
all players in order
improving
competitiveness. All those involved in collaboration, at every
to action in the sphere of
level, are necessary and central
tourism.

to achieve the objective of

A new European tourism policy. In its communica-
2.2
tion, the Commission proposes that a new European tourism
policy should be adopted with the aim of improving competi-
tiveness and creating more and better jobs under sustainable
conditions in Europe and the world. To achieve this it calls for
dialogue, coordination and collaboration at all levels.

2.2.1 Mainstreaming measures affecting tourism. The
Commission communication sets out three types of measure:

— better

regulation through extended impact assessment,
legislative proposals and simplification of

screening of
existing legislation;

— coordination of all Community policies affecting tourism,
and consulting and engaging in interactive dialogue with all
the parties concerned;

— improving use of the various EU financial instruments avail-
able: the ERDF, the Cohesion Funds, the ESF, the European
Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and others that
can enhance the sustainable development of tourism.

The Commission communication proposes that key tasks be
entrusted to its own specialised departments in coordinating
initiatives taken in both the public and private sectors. These
include in particular the work of maintaining interactive infor-
mation in the tourism sector and achieving cooperation
between all parties so that tourism can benefit from all Com-
munity financial instruments.

2.3
Promoting sustainable tourism. The Commission
communication considers drawing up a proposal for a European
Agenda 21 for tourism to be an essential aspect of framing the
new European tourism policy. Work on drawing up the
proposal
is currently under way and should be completed in
2007.

for

Pending completion of these strategic efforts, the Commission
immediate implementation of various specific
provides
actions. Of particular note are measures
to facilitate the
exchange of good practice in tourism in relation to various
issues — accessibility and sustainability, sport, culture, economic
recovery, EU enlargement, public-private cooperation and social
tourism in Europe — which have been addressed in at least
seven EESC own-initiative opinions.

Enhancing

2.4
and visibility of
the understanding
tourism. The Commission communication proposes various
basic policies for improving the strategic importance of tourism
within general European policy. These include:

— improving the availability of tourism statistics, in particular

the Tourism Satellite Accounts (TSAs);

— continuing to promote European tourist destinations, for
example through the internet portal created for this purpose
by the Commission, which in the near future will undoubt-
edly serve as a valuable tool
for promoting tourism
products, cultural and sporting events and a wide range of
advertising possibilities;

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— improving the visibility of tourism as a common objective,
through various joint measures with the Member States,
including annual organisation of
the European Tourism
Forum, which has been held regularly since 2002. The
Commission expresses a clear intention to continue efforts
to publicise its proposals, conclusions or simply discuss the
issues that are of concern to the sector. It should also be
noted that during each Council presidency various measures
have been taken to increase the visibility and presence of
tourism in Europe.

2.5 Conclusion of the communication

The Commission communication concludes with the basic
observation that there is a need for full cooperation between all
public and private players with respect to the adoption and
practical
implementation of tourism policies. Once more, the
recommendation that collaboration should be established at
every level
is a precondition for improving competitiveness,
which will ensure a sustainable European tourism sector in the
long term. The Commission's objective in presenting the
communication is thus quite clear.

3. General comments

3.1
Tourism deservedly figures strongly in the documents —
both strategic and technical — of all the European institutions,
but this is still far from commensurate with its current impor-
tance as an economic activity and its future potential in Europe.
This role transcends purely economic considerations because it
includes conspicuous social and cultural
factors, and issues
relating to heritage and integration of Europe's citizens, given
that tourism is a cross-cutting sector with implications for many
strategies, policies and Community measures.

3.2
It is important to point out that although tourism is not
at the moment a common policy of the European Union, it is
still the case that various European institutions are presenting
measures and actions that have an impact on tourism or use it
as an instrument to achieve some of the main EU objectives.
The new constitutional Treaty awaiting adoption represents a
step forward in recognising the complementary and coordi-
nating role of national policies in promoting company competi-
tiveness
economic dimension of
tourism.

and acknowledging the

Tourism has been addressed in the different European

3.3
institutions as follows:

— The European Parliament has adopted a series of very
different resolutions on tourism and its impact on employ-
ment and the economy,
for instance the Resolution on
‘Tourism and Development’ and the Resolution on ‘Prospects
and new challenges for sustainable European tourism’.

EU tourism policy; the Council welcomes this policy and
calls on the Commission to play an active role in coordi-
nating various policies.

— The European Commission has published various commu-
nications, set up, consolidated and managed the European
Tourism Forums, held conferences on various topics, such as
social tourism and the Agenda 21 for European Tourism,
and organised many other activities.

— The Committee of the Regions has presented opinions, for
example on the Commission communications ‘Working
together for the future of European tourism’ and ‘Basic
orientations for the sustainability of European tourism’.

— The European Economic and Social Committee has
always taken and continues to take a particular interest in
tourism-related matters, as evidenced by some 11 opinions
the Committee's active
adopted on tourism since 1999,
participation in various European Tourism Forums convened
by the Commission, and its involvement and promotion of
numerous events on various aspects of tourism, e.g. the cele-
bration of World Tourism Day in 2005 in Brussels and
2006 in León. Of particular interest
is the cooperation
between the EESC and other bodies on all the initiatives that
they have launched in relation to tourism.

The present EESC opinion is intended not just to be a
3.4
critical evaluation of the Commission communication and a
presentation of relevant recommendations arising form the
ensuing debate, but also to analyse existing initiatives and make
clear proposals. Thus although the communication is evaluated
positively, the opinion tries to focus on specific measures that
taken together constitute a tourism policy. Without actually
being concerned with tourism directly,
there are aspects of
current European policy that have critical implications for the
development of tourism: free movement of people, services and
goods, transport and the environment, among others. All of
these measures must go into building a competitive and sustain-
able tourism policy.

3.5

In general terms, the message of this opinion is that:

— tourism is a right of every citizen, as set out in the Global
Code of Ethics for Tourism, and brings with it an obligation
to conform to good practice;

— it is a right that also generates direct and indirect wealth and
small and medium-sized
for
profitability,
companies, and is thus a strategic industry for Europe which
has proved sound;

in particular

— the quality of services provided by operators in the sector
and the responsibility of users towards local communities
are values that we must maintain as the basis for its conti-
nuing existence;

— The Council of

the European Union has addressed
tourism on a number of occasions in conclusions and action
plans, basically to emphasise the need for sustainability,
competitiveness
and job creation in tourism. Special
mention should be made of the Council conclusions of 7
July 2006 on the Commission communication on the new

— tourism has, or should have, a positive impact on local and
regional economies, as well as on social, cultural and envir-
onmental conditions, and thus provides a means of under-
standing other cultures and different ways of being and
it also acts as an instrument for interregional
behaving;
cooperation;

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— tourism is a dynamic sector and major source of employ-
ment now and for the future, with the potential to create
good quality, stable jobs with social rights;

— tourism is not

immune from problems such as over-
crowding and seasonality, which lead to a loss of competi-
tiveness;

— we believe in the need for an Agenda 21 for European
Tourism that is clear-sighted and has ambitious objectives;

— the European tourism model

is an internal necessity and
could serve as a global point of reference if it is based not
on rules but on values of quality, sustainability, accessibility,
etc., which are freely taken on board by tourist destinations
and all stakeholders;

— the European tourism model is based on and enriched by
the variety of destinations, by the different approaches to
tourism, and by the diverse forms of tourism;

— this European tourism model that we are advocating is an
effective instrument for promoting peace and understanding
between peoples.

4. Specific comments

this

4.1
The Commission communication gives a general over-
view of the foundations, challenges, policies, main measures and
general modus operandi of a new tourism policy for Europe.
Incorporating all
short communication
into a rather
certainly involved considerable work to summarise the material
and required analysis of many documents, opinions and
debates. It should be emphasised that the ultimate aim of clearly
informing society about
the Commission's basic views on
tourism has been achieved, as well as the measures to be carried
out in this complex sector.

4.2
The arguments presented in the communication in
support of this new tourism policy seem appropriate, based as
they are on the renewed Lisbon strategy and its two main axes,
growth and employment. If attainment of these objectives is the
general Community strategy, setting out the contribution of
tourism to that strategy certainly means strengthening its role
and establishing the right basis for its development.

4.3
Perhaps it would have been useful for the Commission
communication also to analyse the role of tourism in major
Community declarations and in the European constitutional
treaty, trying to see how current tourism policy is defined in
those documents and what the significance of new European
tourism policy is. It should not be forgotten that the Member
States and the regions have repeatedly indicated that they wish
to maintain their responsibility for tourism, but still allow the
European Union to play a catalytic role in certain areas of joint
interest so as to improve the competitiveness of Europe's
tourism sector. One current request that is being implemented
and refined, for instance, is the setting-up and management of
an internet portal to promote Europe as a tourism destination.
Joint measures are needed at a time when internal frontiers are
becoming more porous.

The challenges mentioned by the Commission are
4.4
certainly the most important ones that will be faced by tourism
in the coming decades. The list might have been longer, but
certainly the key challenge of
improving competitiveness is
broad enough to serve as the basis for addressing other major
challenges, such as enhancing quality, reducing seasonality or
improving the skills of people working in the tourism industry.
Vocational training and improving the qualifications of people
employed in the tourism sector is particularly important within
the framework of the Integrated Lifelong Learning Programme.
This will make the sector more competitive and ensure high-
quality services.

4.5
The Commission communication repeatedly calls for
collaboration, and as indicated in the title strengthening partner-
ship should be proposed as the linchpin and hallmark of the
new tourism policy. It is particularly important to emphasise the
role of trade unions and employers' organisations, which must
be included in partnership arrangements, and asked to take part
in all debates and forums, and in the implementation of general
measures to improve the tourism sector.
It would also be
helpful to create a database of good tourism practice as a means
of exchanging successful experiences as part of collaboration
between all stakeholders. By the same token, it would be useful
tourist destinations and
to promote permanent networks of
cities, motivated by the joint aim of improving competitiveness.
The Committee welcomes the introduction of the ‘European
destinations of excellence’ and urges that
this idea should
include proper management of social and labour relations and
participation of trades unions and employers' organisations at
the selected destination.

The Commission undertakes to implement

4.6
this new
policy on the basis of cooperation, of launching new, specific
support measures and of coordination between actors. However,
it might be necessary to give more details of the actual ways in
which these three approaches will be executed. In the Commit-
tee's view, the Enterprise DG has a key role to play with respect
to these tasks of coordinating all European policies that directly
or indirectly affect tourism, but it is up to the Commission to
decide which body should be responsible for this coordination.
The Committee also considers that the Commission should play
a more active role in introducing Europe-wide initiatives. Here
in particular, the Committee has on several occasions proposed
setting up a European Tourism Board and looking at the
possibilities for establishing a European Tourism Agency.

4.7
The Commission communication makes it very clear that
enhancing competitiveness is an objective and a necessity for
the European tourism sector. Growing global competition in the
sector is eroding the profitability of operators. Thus maintaining
Europe's leading position in the global tourism industry will
require substantial efforts in the future to innovate, enhance
quality, support creativity and improve the productivity of all
factors and players.

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The Committee considers that the Commission commu-
4.8
nication does not pay adequate attention to the role of Informa-
tion and Communication Technologies
in the new
scenario for tourism, both from the perspective of consumers
and of companies and sectoral stakeholders. Research and devel-
opment work in the tourism sector to improve the use of such
technologies must be a priority in the next few years.

(ICTs)

4.9
The Committee very much welcomes the Commission's
proposal to improve regulation, but it must be borne in mind
that less regulation does not always mean better regulation.
Collective bargaining will have to be strengthened in areas iden-
tified by the social partners if labour regulations and standards
in the sector are to be adapted.

The evident willingness to adopt concrete measures and
4.10
in particular to improve the use of
the European financial
instruments available is important, but there is a need for more
specific information and a programme should be proposed for
the precise purpose of
implementing the major European
tourism objectives, which the communication accurately identi-
fies. It must be ensured that the funds allocated to tourism are
used effectively and efficiently to achieve the objectives.

The role ascribed to the ‘Agenda 21 for European
4.11
importance in the Commission
Tourism’
communication, since this document is intended to serve as the

is of particular

Brussels, 14 December 2006.

basis for strategies, programmes and actions relating to the
sustainable development of tourism. A long document is antici-
pated that will no doubt shed light on many different questions
and issues of an economic, social and environmental nature.
This document should carefully consider the key issues of limits
on growth, the sustainable rate of growth of tourist destinations,
and the protection of the coast and other sensitive natural areas.
It should also put forward viable and sustainable proposals.

4.12
The Commission communication places great emphasis
on tourism statistics, but these may need to be complemented
by studies with a clear strategic and forward-looking approach
that identify trends, draw conclusions and provide for future
action. Setting up one or more networked tourism observatories
at European level could help to meet this need in the sector.
There is a need for tourism statistics to pay more attention to
employment variables.

4.13
The Commission communication clearly states the need
to improve the visibility, understanding and acceptance of
tourism in European society. As already observed in the EESC
opinion entitled the Katowice Declaration, and in the opinion
on ‘Tourism and culture: two forces for growth’ and other EESC
documents, communication campaigns are also called for to
inform and motivate all European citizens, in particular young
people.

The President

of the European Economic and Social Committee

Dimitris DIMITRIADIS