Activities of Frieda BREPOELS related to 2010/2206(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Tourism in Europe (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on Europe, the world’s No 1 tourist destination – a new political framework for tourism in Europe PDF (376 KB) DOC (264 KB)
Amendments (31)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas tourism also contributes to human enrichment, exchange, welfare, wellbeing, culture and social cohesion; whereas, therefore, the focus should be on a qualitative approach,
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the policy strategy presented by the Commission, which sets out 21 specific actions to reinvigorate the sector; considers this document and its implementation plan provides a solid basis from which to develop an EU policy on competitive, modern, good quality and sustainable tourism accessible to all; calls on the Commission to focus the Action Plan primarily on priorities which entail innovative added value, pursuant to Article 195 of the Treaty; considers that an assessment of the results of previous communications with a view to this is also essential;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Deplores the lack of coherence within the Commission with regard to tourism policy; considers it essential that the Commission should arrange for a coordinating and integrating approach among the Directorates-General concerned;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the need for close cooperation between international, EU, national, regional and local authorities on the one hand and between the institutions as a whole and stakeholders in the sector on the other; recalls that in regard to tourism many European regions have direct powers and play, therefore, a central role in implementing projects and specific actions; hopes to see the regions playing a direct and effective part in future Community proposals on tourism, and interregional coordination in promoting the latter;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Considers that tourism should be regarded as part and parcel of the EU’s industrial policy and asserts once more that reinvigorating tourism provides an important stimulus for employment in the various Member States; stresses in this connection the importance of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which both contribute innovation from below and stability in the sector and guarantee the quality, diversity and authenticity of the regions where they are rooted; encourages the Commission to promote this approach more in European tourism services;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Regards the current proliferation of labels as confusing and even misleading; calls on the Commission to assess the efficiency of the existing labels; considers that reliability, transparency, monitoring and even penalties should be the prime concerns here; takes the view that the criteria for the labels should be so formulated as to be feasible and realistic but at the same time to provide incentives for a more sustainable product; calls on the Commission to devise a more uniform system of quality standards;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the ‘European heritage label’ initiative as a tool giving prominence to some of the important sites in the history of European integration; stresses the need for coordination between this initiative and the UNESCO heritage sites and other historic routes; considers coordination with other comparable initiatives, such as the Europa Nostra Award, to be necessary in order to avoid overlapping that has no added value;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on the Commission to draw conclusions from recent emergencies, such as the volcanic eruption, and to draw up specific scenarios for EU crisis management, so that coordination and uniform action in all Member States with regard to information and the measures to be taken become the rule;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Urges the Commission to draw up a Charter of tourists’ rights and responsibilities comprising principles with regard to accessibility, provision of information, transparent pricing, compensation, etc.; calls on Member States to set up an independent arbitration system so that consumers can also genuinely secure respect for these rights;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses the need to foster technological development in SMEs so that they may more effectively market their products and promote destinations; urges the Commission to create an ‘ICT and Tourism’ platform, launching a specific pilot project by the end of 2011 to boost the participation of micro-enterprises and SMEs in the digital supply chain, following on from the experience of other sectors such as textiles, transport and logistics and the automobile industryand Member States to improve the accessibility and user- friendliness of existing ICT approaches;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Commission to assess, in close collaboration with operators in the sector, innovative ways of promoting ad hoc European package holidays during the major international events that Europe will be hosting in the next few years (for example, the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the centenary commemoration of the ‘Great War’, the 2015 Milan Universal Exhibition, etc.) with a view to promoting ‘destination Europe’ with all its rich diversity;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Commission, in collaboration with the Member States, to exploit and promote vocational and university training schemes already existing in the tourism sector and to network and further encourage them, maintaining close contact with the world of research and business; calls on the Commission in this context to make the topic of innovation in tourism a larger element in the 8th Framework Programme of Research and Technological Development;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Asks for improved mutual recognition of professional qualifications in the tourist industry so as to allow both those already working in the sector, and those planning to do so, to find the best job opportunities; urges the Commission to monitor more precisely the implementation of the Services Directive in the Member States with regard to tourism;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Urges the Commission to promote the use of more sustainable means of transport, particularly the combination of public transport, rail, cycling and walking, and to pay particular attention to connections with islands, rural areas and mountainous areas and, more generally, with less accessible destinations; regards the Protocol on Tourism annexed to the Alpine Convention, which has been ratified by the EU, as an excellent example of sustainable tourism, particularly in mountain areas;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Stresses the need to promote electronic ticket sales systems for the various means of transport, stimulating in this way the system’s intermodality; supports the Commission and Member States in promoting the inclusion in electronic information and reservation systems of information about the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of the various modes of transport;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Underlines that tourism policy must consistently incorporate sustainable development: the social, economic and environmental needs of the present generations must be met without losing sight of the interests of future generations;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)
Paragraph 26 b (new)
26b. Stresses that climate change should be central to measures relating to tourism, as this sector is simultaneously a cause and a victim of climate change, for example in mountain areas and on islands and coasts; urges therefore that support be lent to a stronger mitigation policy for the benefit of tourism;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Welcomes the Commission’s readiness to diversify the types of tourism available; stresses, in particular, the importance of the collaboration already underway with the Council to promote cultural, historical, religious and environmental tourism by means of themed routes which not only exploit our continent’s historical and cultural roots, but also contribute to the development of an alternative style of tourism, one that is sustainable and accessible to all; considers that the use of sustainable means of transport, including cycling and sailing, should be encouraged in connection with several routes;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Takes the view that in order to differentiate European tourism from that of other countries or continents, it is crucial to link the traditional tourism sector with what the territory has to offer in terms of products and services and tangible and intangible assets;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Highlights the way in which nature ecotourism contributes to the sector’s sustainable development; considers concentrating on national parks and protected areas in order to make them more accessible for tourists, including through the development of transnational circuits that respect the environmental heritage and local biodiversity, to be important;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31a. Points out that the development of new inland waterways can contribute to the sustainable development of cultural tourism, nature tourism and recreational tourism;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Calls on the Commission to promote a cross-cutting Community initiative involving various sectors, and the agri-food sector in particular, on the environmental impact of tourism, with particular reference to European biodiversity, the waste cycle and to energy and water saving, in order to distribute information and useful materials and raise public awareness;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Encourages the Commission, particularly in the new Member States, to support innovative initiatives of tourism SMEs and preserve and improve the wealth of biodiversity by promoting ecotourism;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Encourages the Commission to foster a progressive reduction in the seasonal nature of tourism by continuing to build on the results, so far positive, of the preparatory action ‘Calypso’; calls, furthermore, on the Commission to press ahead with an exchange programme allowing specific categories of people, starting with the most disadvantaged, to take holidays, particularly during the low season and even travelling across national borders; calls, in this connection, for accessibility in the sense of physical accessibility, adequate services and reliable information to be further planned for and incorporated into the full range of tourism products; considers that inspiration can be drawn from numerous existing good practices which stress easy accessibility and empowerment;
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41a. Urges the Commission to set up a readily accessible inter-DG database making it possible, inter alia, to obtain a complete overview of tourism projects cofinanced by the European Union;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
45. Requests that the Commission table by September 2011 a legislative proposal revising the Package Travel Directive 90/314/EEC, in order to ensure consumers and firms in the sector have a clear legal framework for standard situations and, in particular, for exceptional situations caused by natural phenomena; stresses that the whole concept of package travel is long since outdated and urges the Commission, during its revision, to make the same legislation applicable to all parties offering tourism services; stresses that the quality of a service provided to a consumer and fair competition should be prime factors in this context;
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48 a (new)
Paragraph 48 a (new)
48a. Encourages the Commission, in the context of the implementation plan, to set as soon as possible specific timings to achieve all the actions and targets; asks Member States to cooperate by assessing the implementation of each strategy;