BT4Europe update working group sustainability

Woring Group Sustainability – Meeting Minutes 26th April 2023, Brussels

DG Grow (M.H. Pradines, E. Philippart, A. Giambartolomei. A. Kaye, M. Watts, A. Lille)

Recommendation to write a joint statement with ETC (European Travel Comission), engage with them regarding the Tourism Alliance and discuss a sustainability communication campaign

• Recommendation to connect with ECTAA
• Recommendation to consider joining the Data Sharing
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  Code of Conduct
• Recommendation to consider making a pledge under the ‘Transition Pathway for Tourism’

Main takeaways:

• Mr. Philippart wanted to know how much would it cost if the travel industry will make the CO2 Emission visible next to the price. He also explained that his unit is in charge of business travel, as part of the tourism ecosystem (alongside travel for leisure and visiting family). He added that they monitor the recovery of this ecosystem from COVID and that the slowest part to recover is business travel (some parts of it are not yet restarting) and they are interested in data about the business travel system, which they will also share with DG MOVE.
  • Also talked about the Tourism Data Space – to launch this year, the team are currently preparing the document for the launch. A Data Sharing Code of Conduct already exists, BT4Europe to consider joining ‘the club’.
    Key European tourism stakeholders co-sign a Code of Conduct on data sharing in tourism – ETC Corporate – ETC Corporate (etc-corporate.org)
• Ms. Pradines was interested to hear about the challenges a travel manager faces when trying to integrate sustainability into their decisions because of the costs involved. She said they would discuss this with DG MOVE. She asked what governments could do to improve this situation and also to promote multimodal travel. She added that a communications campaign could help.
• Ms. Pradines advised us to get in contact with the ETC to discuss:
  • publishing a join statement
  • to learn more about the Tourism Alliance which they manage
  • join forces on a communications campaign to promote sustainability
• On MDMS, they said they would convey our messages to DG MOVE.
• Ms. Pradines told us about the “Transition Pathway for Tourism”, an initiative to make the tourism more digitalized, resilient and sustainable, adopted to update the Industrial Strategy. It is a common framework and she invited BT4Europe to make a pledge.

Danish Perm Rep (T. Rousing-Schmidt, A. Kaye, M. Watts, A. Lille)

• He told us that an agreement on the new regulation RefuelEU Agreement had been reached since midnight, so not aware of all details that were agreed. However, a timeline was agreed for SAF: 2% by 2025, 5% by 2030, 70% by 2050 – hope that gradually the price difference between SAF and traditional fuels will decreased.
• We discussed MDMS and our call for it to be stronger and mandatory. He explained that Commission Executive Vice President Timmermans is very keen on this proposal owing to its potential climate impact, thinking that it will make it easier for consumers to book travel and hoping it would facilitate a modal shift towards rail.
  • Recommended to discuss our position with CER (they do not like the MDMS proposal) and also with BEUC (European Consumer Organisation)
• A new centrist government in power in Denmark currently developing their position on all transport files under negotiation and will need a position on MDMS. He will provide input to government colleagues and asked us to send the position paper by email as well.
• He will start a new job from July 2023 and will give our input to his successor

Austrian Perm Rep (R. Jöbstl, A. Kaye, M.Watts, A. Lille)

• MDMS Proposal is almost finalized, but his colleague in charge of transport will know more. He said that, given the EU elections are coming up soon, the proposal will go to the new Commission who will have to decide how to proceed (could even withdraw it).
• The EU will adopt a target of EU to lower the number of reporting requirements; however, in some areas like CO2 emissions we need more reporting.
• He will be in charge of the Count Emissions EUproposal
• Transport related requests will he forward to his colleague responsible for transport topics and will invite him for the next meeting