Welcome to the May 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.

Summary
GBTA Action in the EU

Over the past month the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) have further asserted its influence in the European Union advocacy realm through the following key initiatives:

• GBTA released a statement applauding the agreement on ReFuelEU Aviation, the EU's legislative initiative to promote Sustainable Aviation Fuels. GBTA emphasised the critical need for effective financing mechanisms to facilitate the industry's green transition and commended the EU's initiative to foster more sustainable travel.
• GBTA finalised its position paper on Multimodal Digital Mobility Services (MDMS). The association advocates for equitable treatment across different transport modes in the upcoming file which will be published in September 2023, to enhance true multimodality across Europe. The GBTA position paper has been shared with key EU stakeholders, and can also be found here.

Moreover, GBTA held two meetings during April to further exchange on priority files for 2023:

• Green Claims with eu travel tech: GBTA engaged with eu travel tech to discuss the recently released "Green Claims" legislative file by the Commission. This initiative aims to enhance corporate accountability regarding voluntary green claims.
• Payment Services Directive with VISA EU: GBTA met with the VISA EU office to delve deeper into the upcoming revision of the Payment Services Directive. The discussion focused on understanding potential impacts of this revision on business travellers.

GBTA participated in the European Tourism Day held on 5 May, 2023, to represent and advocate on behalf of the business travel industry. Distinguished speakers from European institutions and key stakeholders of the tourism industry convened to discuss the importance of the EU tourism sector and strategies to enhance its resilience. Noteworthy topics covered included the digitalisation of tourism, the promotion of sustainable tourism services, and the importance of skill development in the sector.

GBTA also participated in the first advisory group meeting on the ETIAS information campaign. There is a lot of misinformation in the marketplace around ETIAS as well as fake and unofficial websites. The advisory group has been set up to streamline communication and help prevent inaccurate information being published through bogus websites. The launch date for ETIAS is still to be confirmed.

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

Other Key Points

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

RefuelEU Aviation
In the latest round of negotiations, the Council and the Parliament reached an agreement on the ambitious ReFuelEU Aviation initiative. This will set a revised and more challenging mandate for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) usage at European airports. In the initial proposal, SAFs were to make up 2% of total fuel by 2025, 5% by 2030, and at least 63% by 2050. The breakthrough compromise has raised the bar higher, targeting 6% by 2030 and a robust 70% by 2050, supplemented by heightened sub-targets for synthetic fuels. View more information on the agreement here and GBTA’s statement here.

Empowering consumers initiative & link to Green Claims file
The Council has adopted its 'negotiating mandate' on the proposed directive for enhancing consumer rights and empowering consumers for the green transition. This move aims to amend the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD) and the Consumer Rights Directive (CRD). Key provisions include:

• Ban on generic environmental claims such as 'eco-friendly', 'green', or 'climate neutral' unless substantiated by a publicly accessible certification scheme.
• Only sustainability labels based on official certification schemes or registered as certification marks or established by public authorities will be permitted.
• Obligation for traders to inform consumers about goods with limited lifespan or incompatibility with third-party consumables, and prohibition on presenting goods as repairable when they're not.

The legislative file on empowering consumers proposed in 2022 will provide a general framework on consumer goods. To address the environmental aspects more explicitly, the EU has put forth a separate file in March 2023 that focuses on providing specific provisions on substantiating green claims made by companies. GBTA is attentively tracking these legislative developments to understand the potential implications for business travellers. More updates will follow as the situation unfolds.

2. Other updates

Airbnb rethinking its strategy
In a fresh strategy to heighten competition with the hotel industry, Airbnb's CEO, Brian Chesky, has announced a new plan to underscore the platform's cost-effectiveness compared to traditional hotels. Chesky acknowledges that Airbnb stays have become "expensive" over time, and he is keen on steering the business back to its original ethos. Chesky's plan to refocus on promoting private rooms is an effort to return to Airbnb's roots and re-establish its competitive edge. View more information on Airbnb’s plans here.

Need for modernisation of rights for people with disabilities
The European Disability Forum (EDF) has appealed to the European Commission, advocating for improved travel conditions for passengers with disabilities. They highlighted the unfair treatment these travelers face and stressed the need for legislative measures to address this issue. EDF is pushing to modernise the 2006 EU legislation concerning air travellers with disabilities. View more on EDF’s request here.

Digitilisation of travel documents initiative – call for feedback
The EU Commission is currently gathering public feedback on the idea of a common digital travel document. This initiative aims to understand travel-related challenges and explore the possible advantages of digital documents, including quicker check-ins, smoother border controls, and reduced risk of lost passports. Stakeholders have until 28 June 2023, to share their insights. GBTA is currently preparing its response to the consultation.