THE EP EUROPEAN TOURISM DEVELOPMENT, CULTURAL HERITAGE, WAY OF ST. JAMES AND OTHER EUROPEAN CULTURAL ROUTES INTERGROUP

Even though an Intergroup has no legislative power, it can be valuable having such representation in the European Parliament. At the minimum, it is a multiparty forum where one can exchange views and propose ideas on a particular subject in an informal way. Even with no official status in the European Parliament, intergroups tend to be targeted by pressure groups, which see them as an easy way to gain influence in the Parliament. They allow lobbyists to carry out consultations very easily and to create links with the MEPs.

Back on 8 October 2014, in an event co-hosted by MEP Anna-Claudia Tapardel (Romania) and MEP Istvan Ujhelyi (Hungary) in the presence of Vice-President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani, MEPs from various political groups and tourism stakeholders agreed to form an Intergroup on Tourism.

 Rationale

• Bringing coherence to the European Parliament’s work on tourism and foster growth and job creation.
• Adopting a more holistic and coherent approach to the Parliament’s tourism work and maximize its impact on Europe’s competitiveness.
• Many policy issues with a direct impact on tourism are not falling within the competence of the Transport & Tourism Committee (TRAN)
• Helping tackle challenges as it allows MEPs from different background, active in the various EP Committees (e.g. REGI; AGRI, IMCO, TRAN, LIBE, ITRE, IMCO, CULT, AFET etc) to exchange views and devise coherent approaches to tackle horizontal issues such as: Tourism as part of regional development, the cultural aspect of tourism, gastronomy and tourism, access to remote regions and tourism connectivity, Visa policy, accessibility of touristic resorts, tourism tax, the promotion of Europe as a tourist destination etc.

The Tourism Intergroup can be understood as confirmation of the aspirations and discourse on tourism is becoming a political force. Nevertheless, it should be stressed that Intergroups are not Parliament bodies and therefore may not express Parliament’s opinion. How can an Intergroup with such a broad scope as tourism be useful? Aren’t the daily activities of the European Parliament in the end about concrete policies, amendments to policy proposals and votes???

Of course, the Intergroup offers important networking opportunities and an invaluable source of information about the tourism sector in the EU. The rationale behind the Tourism Intergroup is rooted in the diversity of the tourism sector which cover a wide variety of key policy areas in the EU and the recognition by the European Parliament of the importance of tourism.

Questions

1. What is the structure of the Tourism Intergroup ?
2. What topics does the Tourism Intergroup intend to address in the course of its work?
3. What is the calendar of meetings?