Debate: Tourism and transport in  and beyond
Date: WEDNESDAY, 17 JUNE 2020
Speaker: Adina-Ioana Vălean
Language: EN

As the summer holidays approach, it is clear that we need to consider transport and tourism together. How would we physically go on holiday if no trains, boats, planes or cars were moving, or indeed moving across borders?  However, getting the economy moving requires people moving too, and that requires trust and coordination. What we need to offer citizens is clarity, non-discrimination and seamless connectivity.  We all know too well that the transport and tourism sectors have been the hardest hit by the pandemic, and particularly passenger transport. Traffic across modes has been down by at least 80% compared to the previous year. Transport is a vital enabler for many sectors, including tourism, and ensures the transport of goods that we all depend upon. It is in fact the backbone of the single market and economic activity as such. So restoring transport in the EU and beyond must be accelerated, while keeping health requirements in mind.  Our guidelines of 13 May set out a common framework for the progressive and safe restoration of transport services and connectivity. They provide general principles applicable to all transport services and specific recommendations for each transport mode. We have also proposed guidelines on the safe resumption of tourism services across the entire ecosystem, such as in hotels and restaurants, or for tour operators.  Additional guidelines were presented for restoring free movement and for making vouchers more attractive. With these guidelines we have all the necessary tools at hand to restart with this important part of our economy, as of now, well ahead of the economically so important summer of 2020. No endeavour can ever be risk free. However, our guidelines and the protocols developed by our agencies take all precautionary measures and provide the best available practices for reducing risks, all while making the resumption of passenger transport possible. These guidelines should be complemented by widespread information about the measures taken, so that each European can make responsible and well-informed decisions about how to limit health risks while travelling.  Any measures imposed in the transport sector have to be proportionate and risk-based. It is very important that Member States are, as of this week, leaving the general transport bans or internal borders restrictions behind and favour instead more targeted measures. This means increasing cleaning, using protective equipment, prioritising electronic ticketing or avoiding crowding in hubs. Cumulatively, these targeted measures can provide the much needed trust for people to restart travelling. Because of the unique nature of aviation, the EU Aviation Safety Agency and the European Centre for Disease Control have published additional operational recommendations based on the Commission’s general guidelines. It clarifies that a number of appropriate measures should be taken. This can, in conjunction with inbuilt features in aircraft, such as hospital grade filters, permit the reduction of risks to acceptable levels. Acting together is key, since transport is by nature a cross-regional and cross-border activity. It goes without saying that restoring links must always be coordinated, in particular we need to ensure that any measures applied at points of arrival and departure are mutually acceptable, otherwise travel will become prohibitively burdensome, expensive and in some cases impossible.  In this regard, we will also continue our good cooperation with Member States through our network of transport contact points established at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis in the context of the Green Lanes guidelines. Safety is not the only thing needed to inspire trust. Trust is also built on precedent and the precedent we wanted to defend is that consumers should be protected in the EU at all times. The Commission has been clear throughout this crisis that the rights of passengers to reimbursement shall not be restricted. Consumers, especially those who have been hit economically by the crisis, will only get back to travelling for leisure and tourism if they can rest assured that their travel packages and flights are to be reimbursed if cancelled. In addition to all that, resuming passenger transport and tourism requires business continuity for all the sectors. Securing working capital, funding of operations, public support for businesses to maintain investment pipelines are all vital economic prerequisites for regaining connectivity and building a transport system that is fit for the future.  The Commission has therefore proposed a robust and comprehensive package for the recovery of the EU economy. Although specific economic sectors do not have ring-fenced funding in the recovery package, it is clear that those economic ecosystems, such as transport and tourism, will be able to benefit from several funding opportunities. I therefore seek your support in adopting this package swiftly. It provides a unique window of opportunity for funding in transport, tourism, automotive, aeronautics, and ship manufacturing, as well as all other industries needed to ensure sustainable, resilient and affordable connectivity for 2020 and beyond.  I will devote all my efforts in convincing Member States and private stakeholders in using the EU instruments available, to increase liquidity and to get firmly on a recovery path. The Commission’s proposed recovery package to kick-start the European economy contains an array of opportunities for transport under the EUR 1.1 thousand billion MFF and the EUR 750 billion in the Next Generation EU programme. The recovery package includes a reinforced budget for the Connecting Europe facility, with an additional EUR 1.5 billion for the general envelope to stimulate further infrastructure investment. It will accelerate the completion of the Core TEN-T network due by 2030. It will stimulate the Digital and Green Transition with clear priority given to the most decarbonised modes, rail and inland navigation, and it will accelerate the deployment of clean technologies such as alternative fuel infrastructure, in line with our Green Deal agenda.  We are also proposing an enhanced InvestEU with an increased budget of EUR 31.6 billion. This will include a new Strategic Investment Facility, the InvestEU’s fifth window to support critical infrastructure and the development of resilient value chains, including for new clean technologies that are essential for the transport sector.  In addition, the sustainable infrastructure window has almost doubled in size in our proposal and now has a EUR 20 billion guarantee which can stimulate private investment in sustainable transport infrastructure and fleet renewal.  With a total budget of EUR 560 billion the recovery and resilience facility can benefit all sectors of the economy, including transport. Member States will submit their plans — recovery and resilience plans — by April next year in order to receive grants or loans. I am sure that investment in sustainable transport systems will be high on the recovery agenda of Member States, as this is mentioned in almost all country reports of the EU Semester on which the national plans will have to be based.  Of course there is also the solvency support instrument under the European Fund for Strategic Investment with EUR 26 billion which can mobilise additional private capital to support eligible companies in the sectors most impacted by the Coronavirus. All these instruments will continue to support our priorities of sustainability and digitalisation — the focus of our upcoming Strategy in Transport communication. The Coronavirus changed a lot, but not the need for smarter sustainable mobility. 80% of the CEF budget for transport is already contributing to climate action. For the entire MFF and the Next Generation EU we propose an overall target of 25% climate mainstreaming. For transport it could be even higher.  I would like to conclude by commending you for the European Parliament resolution highlighting many of the challenges and solutions taken. As we look forward, we are of course learning lessons from our experiences over the last few months. The situation was unprecedented, and I would dare to say that we are now wiser and better prepared. I am looking forward to your questions and comments. Thank you very much.