🇪🇺 EU.


Martin Banks has been a journalist for over 40 years, working in Brussels since 2001 where he has covered EU politics, initially for European Voice and more recently for The Parliament Magazine plus a raft of other titles. He also writes about other topics including culture and travel. Prior to coming to Belgium he had worked in regional (including a 6 year stint as Chief Reporter for the 2nd biggest selling regional in the UK) and national journalism in the UK since 1980.

6 April 2021

Why post-Brexit has embarrassed the EU over the vaccine roll out

Spare a thought, if you will, for the 450 million people who live on mainland Europe – they have been very badly let down over the […]
5 April 2021

Building a sustainable future for European travel

This past year has upended the entire travel industry. With ever-changing regulations and lockdowns, dwindling budgets, and fluctuating traveler comfort levels, it feels impossible to deploy […]
31 March 2021

UNWTO urges Europe to lead the way in tourism’s restart

As the latest data shows an 85% fall in tourist arrivals across Europe at the start of 2021, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has noted Europe can […]
30 March 2021

Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen to start delivering 200 million Covid-19 vaccines in Europe as of April 19th

Covid-19 vaccination campaigns have been slower in Europe than in some countries elsewhere, and several European countries have recently enforced new restrictions to curb the latest […]
29 March 2021

EU Vaccine Passport to be available by June 15th

On Sunday, March 28th, during the TV program Le Grand Jury RTL-Le Figaro-LCI, European Commissioner Thierry Breton indicated that the EU health passport should be available […]
26 March 2021

Members of the European Parliament demand safe and clean travel

EU criteria for safe and clean travel, a common vaccination certificate and an EU hygiene seal for businesses must be part of a new EU strategy […]
22 March 2021

European Parliament renames two of its buildings after prominent European women

On International Women’s Day, the European Parliament approved proposals to name two of its buildings in Brussels after prominent European women. The Parliament’s Bureau approved proposals […]
21 March 2021

New sleeper trains in Europe will link 13 major destinations

Four European national railway companies have promised new sleepers linking 13 major cities in the largest extension of Europe’s night network in many years. According to […]
18 March 2021

EU Digital Green Certificate will allow countries choose Russia and China vaccines

The Digital Green Certificate proposed yesterday by the European Commission and their plan to get vaccinated people traveling again, will leave key decisions up to member […]
18 March 2021

Europe’s aviation sector welcomes EU’s Digital Green Certificate

Europe’s aviation sector has welcomed the European Commission’s proposal for a Digital Green Certificate system which requires EU States to issue common, inter-operable certificates for Covid-19 […]
17 March 2021

EU vaccine passport: Everything you need to know about the Digital Green Certificate

The European Commission has made clear the importance of a restart to travel within the EU and beyond, and has today put forward a proposal to […]
16 March 2021

EU ‘vaccination passports’ will be free for all citizens

Today, the European Commission will present its proposal for the vaccination certificate. Individuals carrying such a certificate will be able to prove that they have been […]
16 March 2021

Commission’s ‘Digital Green Certificate’ to help boost travel during the ongoing crisis

The proposed certificate is designed to provide proof that a person has been vaccinated against Covid-19, has recovered from it, or has received a negative test […]
11 March 2021

Southern EU countries see 1 May as the date to reopen to tourism

Some countries in southern Europe are preparing to reopen to visitors in May. Many of those countries’ economies rely heavily on tourism and are trying to […]
8 March 2021

A hidden treasure in the middle of Albania

Since early times, rivers frame the landscape – as borders, as way of transport, via dams as an energy provider, as a source for fisheries and […]
3 March 2021

European Travel Commissions releases step-by-step framework for sustainable tourism development

Today the European Travel Commission (ETC), representing 32 national tourism organizations in Europe, has published a new handbook ‘Sustainable Tourism Implementation: Framework and Toolkit’ – an […]