EU support for the tourist industry over the period from 2021 to 2027

Subject: EU support for the tourist industry over the period from 2021 to 2027

In many parts of Europe, and in northern Germany in particular, tourism is a key economic factor. In some regions it accounts for more than 20% of local GDP and generates business for many firms. It thus safeguards employment and livelihoods. As a part of the services sector, the tourist industry is labour intensive, with little room for rationalisation. What is more, the fact that it is location-specific means that jobs in the industry cannot be relocated abroad. It thus offers good employment prospects and is a safe recipient of public funding. Although the current operational programmes carried out under the European Regional Development Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development offer scope for providing support for tourism-related initiatives, unlike in the 2007-2013 period tourism is no longer an investment priority. Without funding for key infrastructure measures, however, the competitiveness of tourist destinations cannot be guaranteed and important private follow-up investment, for example in catering establishments, hotels and leisure facilities, will be lost.

1. Is the Commission once again planning to provide comprehensive support for tourist industry under the new Multiannual Financial Framework for the period 2021 to 2027?

2. Will provision be made for support for tourism-related infrastructure?

3. Will the Commission take steps to cut the amount of red tape involved in obtaining funding?

Answer given by Ms Bieńkowska on behalf of the European Commission (7 November 2018)

1. The Commission published its proposals on the spending programmes 2021-2027, which are now under the negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council. Various EU financial resources may continue to be mobilised with direct and indirect impact on the sustainable development and competitiveness of the tourism sector, possibly through the European Regional and Development Fund (ERDF), the European Agricultural and Rural Development Fund (EAFRD), InvestEU, Horizon Europe, the Single Market or Creative Europe Programmes.

2. For 2021-2027, the Commission proposes tourism as one of the eligible areas for financing and investment operations (including under the sustainable infrastructure window) of the InvestEU Programme. Moreover, it proposes to continue supporting investments in tourism under the ERDF (1). Finally, possibilities to support rural tourism in the framework of the common agricultural policy (CAP) are available under the current proposal for 2021-2027. The Member States would therefore still have the possibility to include tourism related investments in their CAP Strategic Plans (2).

3. In the proposal for the Common Provision Regulation (3) for the seven shared management funds, the Commission proposed more than 80 substantial simplification measures that answer concerns of beneficiaries and programme authoritie s (4). The new delivery model proposed for the CAP also provides a great potential for simplification, in particular by cutting significantly EU requirements at the level of beneficiaries.

⋅1∙ Under the proposed Regulation for the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund (COM (2018) 372 final) investments in tourism sector are

possible under the following specific objectives: i) fostering the integrated social, economic and environmental development, cultural heritage and security and urban areas; and (ii) fostering the integrated social, economic and environmental local development, cultural heritage and security, including for rural and coastal areas also through community led-local development. Investment in tourism needs to be embedded in the territorial or local development strategy. ⋅2∙ Such support could, for instance, include interventions linked to territorial economic development and rural infrastructure, the renewal of villages and/or actions

aimed at the conservation of small scale built heritage (chapels, bridges, public amenities), construction and modernisation of tourism information centers, visitor information, and various other leisure, recreational and/or sporting activities.

⋅3∙ COM (2018) 375 final.

⋅4∙ http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/information/publications/factsheets/2018/simplification-handbook-80-simplification-measures-in-cohesion-policy-2021-