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GBTA Europe Advocacy Newsletter

Welcome to the January edition of the GBTA Europe Advocacy Newsletter designed to keep you up to date with what’s happening in relation to business travel in Brussels, and how GBTA is advocating on your behalf.

 

Click here for the EU jargon buster.  

For more information on the GBTA actions in the EU, please contact clogan@gbta.org.  


Key Points



1. Transport & sustainability - Developments on the legislations relevant to achieving the EU's climate targets

Emissions Trading System (ETS)
On the 18th of December 2022, the Council and Parliament reached an agreement on the ETS, agreeing to extend the carbon pricing scheme to shipping and to create an ETS2 that will extend the scheme to buildings (heating) and road transport. Under the new agreement, the ETS2 will be implemented from 2027. ETS II could be postponed until 2028 to protect citizens if energy prices are exceptionally high. View more information here.

 

2. COVID-19 updates

Measures towards COVID’s spreading in China
In early January, EU countries agreed on a “coordinated precautionary approach” in response to the COVID crisis in China. This approach includes recommendations for Member States to require a COVID test for all travelers from China and to wear masks during flights. In addition, random testing at airports upon arrival of travelers is recommended, and the need for Chinese authorities to provide reliable data on the extent of the pandemic is emphasized. View more information here.

Airlines disappointed with the restrictions on China
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), Airports Council International (ACI) and Airlines for Europe (A4E) issued a joint statement deploring the decision to encourage a requirement for a negative COVID test at entry. More information is available here.

Digital COVID Certificate no more?
On other COVID-related news, with the EU's digital COVID certificate set to expire in June 2023, the Commission will assess at the end of March whether it is necessary to extend its validity. However, its review does not seem necessary according to a document of the Council of the EU. This document explains that the most acute phase of the pandemic has passed, making it “unlikely that restrictions to the fundamental right to free movement will be justified going forward.” View the document here.

EU in need of better preparation for future pandemics
Regardless of whether the COVID certificate comes back, a report by the Court of Auditors released on Wednesday suggests that the EU must improve its readiness for potential future emergencies to be successful, as compared to its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report finds that while the EU's Digital COVID Certificate, which tracks a passenger's vaccine, test, or recovery status, was effective in coordinating travel restrictions among EU countries and facilitating travel during the pandemic, other measures implemented by the EU had only a limited impact. View more here.

 

3. Other updates

Improvements in passenger traffic
According to IATA, total passenger traffic increased by 41.3 per cent in November compared to the same month in 2021, bringing global traffic to 75.3 per cent of November 2019 levels. More information is available here.

New methodology to calculate flight emissions
IATA and Travalyst have partnered to provide consumers with a consistent, accurate, and generally accessible calculation of their carbon footprint from air travel. This partnership will concentrate on data as well as standard methodology for route-based passenger CO2 emissions estimations for large-scale aviation. View more here.

Travel trends in 2023
Travel-related news have not exactly been upbeat in recent months. However, CWT has proposed three business travel trends for the new year: sustainability as an even bigger focus for many enterprises in 2023, conscious business travel and the increase of virtual or hybrid events thanks to the technology available. View more here.

 
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