The European Parliament recently convened a key session to explore how the travel and tourism sector can remain globally competitive while aligning with the EU’s decarbonisation objectives. The discussion brought together policymakers and industry stakeholders representing over €1.65 trillion in combined market value and spending. Participants included the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), Travalyst, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), and MEP Nikolina Brnjac (EPP, Croatia), a member of both the Transport Committee and the Tourism Task Force.
🇪🇺📍WTTC's Virginia Messina joined MEP Nikolina Brnjac & fellow private sector leaders from @GBTAEurope & @Travalyst to discuss the progress & challenges in the EU as our sector transitions to a sustainable future.
— WTTC (@WTTC) March 20, 2025
⬇️ Explore our Call to Action 👉https://t.co/5HmbyiNaXN pic.twitter.com/I9Q8hELwy0
Aligned standards, policy certainty and private sector collaboration
Brnjac emphasised that the aim is “not to de-regulate, but to regulate better – in order to support our European tourism businesses and destinations to lead in sustainability and be competitive in the global arena.” That leadership is already evident according to Suzanne Neufang of the GBTA, who noted that European corporate travel managers are using “their purchasing power as a lever for change” and that Europe’s “close to €400 billion in yearly spend” can “help move the needle when it comes to sustainable travel”. She called for the EU to help by providing common industry standards and “certainty on capital deployment for rail, multimodality and Sustainable Aviation Fuel.”
“A Sustainable Future for Travel and Tourism in Europe” @Europarl_EN
— Nikolina Brnjac (@NBrnjac) March 20, 2025
Istaknula sam 🇭🇷 iskustva održivog turizma– ravnoteža između zelenih ambicija 🌱 i konkurentnosti ključ je uspjeha za cijelu Europu! 🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/HjxYYpCDs6
Sally Davey, CEO of Travalyst, pushed for international alignment, pointing out that “Travel is a truly global sector and our work to decarbonise and grow sustainably must be aligned, otherwise we will go backwards instead of forwards.” Meanwhile, policies that are “effective, proportionate, and aligned with global efforts” can only be achieved by “close collaboration with the private sector,” said Virginia Messina, SVP of Advocacy & Communications at WTTC.
Progress so far and key demands going forward
In the last five years, the EU claims to have driven global progress on the Paris Climate Agreement, announcing the European Green Deal and setting the necessary policy framework for climate neutrality by 2050. The Clean Industrial Deal and the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan are also said to support industry transition, while the Omnibus Package simplifies corporate sustainability reporting.
But one key demand emerging from the March 2025 event included the need to avoid further changes that could create “uncertainty for businesses that have been preparing for the implementation of the original legislation.”
In addition, stakeholders want accurate data comparisons across destinations worldwide to inform consumer choice. Various standards, including CountEmissionsEU, the Flight Emissions Label, Green Claims, and draft PEF Category Rules for hotel accommodation, all have a major impact on the sector, they said. To minimise that, the EU should draw on initiatives already developed, such as The Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI), the GBTA Sustainable Procurement Standards, and the Travel Impact Model, delegates said. By continuing to consult closely with the private sector, the industry can avoid “a multiplication of approaches that could be harmful for EU competitiveness.”
Finally, event attendees called for the EU’s continued support for sustainable travel options, including the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan, the development of Sustainable Aviation Fuels, an ambitious European high-speed train network with Single Digital Booking and Ticketing and protection for passenger rights to promote confidence in rail travel, and an upcoming Multimodal Digital Mobility Services (MDMS) initiative, to enable passengers to combine different modes of transport on a single ticket.
