At a high-level event of the European Parliament Intergroup on Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas, co-organised by European Boating Industry and the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions, on 13 July 20222 the industry and EU institutions met to discuss the priorities for recreational boating and nautical tourism. This was followed by a declaration on "Developing common rules for truly European nautical tourism".

The influential cross-party Intergroup, which covers maritime and inland waterway topics, brings together 107 MEPs from 23 different Member States and 6 political groups. With close to 200 registered participants, it was the setting for a much-needed and enriching conversation on the steps EU institutions should take to secure the future of European nautical tourism and the boating industry, which is intrinsically linked to the blue economy.

All speakers agreed on the need for a more European approach to address the issues highlighted at the event: the recognition of private boaters’ licenses, the mutual recognition of skipper qualifications, the sustainable development of pleasure ports and inland recreational navigation as well as the alignment of reduced VAT rates across the tourism sector to ensure a level playing field.

Following the presentations, MEP Jan-Christoph Oetjen presented the SEArica Declaration on “Developing a truly European and sustainable nautical tourism”, which will be open for MEPs in the SEArica Intergroup to sign in the next weeks.
It underlines the need for a common set of rules for the nautical tourism sector at EU level. In a thriving sector, this would boost the sustainable growth of nautical tourism and manufacturing in the years to come.

You can read the full report here.

The European Union and New Zealand concluded negotiations on a trade agreement. The agreement removes duties on all EU goods exports to New Zealand from entry into force. The agreement will also eliminate or substantially reduce duties on most goods exported to the EU. Rules of origin have been agreed that ensure that products that have been significantly processed in one of the parties can benefit from the tariff preferences of the agreement. The documentation follows the latest standard based on self-certification to make the utilisation as easy as possible, especially for SMEs.

The agreement will have to be adopted by the Council of the EU and the European Parliament before entering into force. A summary of the trade agreement can be found here and all documents here.

Russia's war against Ukraine continues to negatively affect the EU economy, setting it on a path of lower growth. Annual average inflation is projected to peak at historical highs in 2022 before easing in 2023. The Summer 2022 Economic Forecast projects that the EU economy will grow by 2.7% in 2022 and 1.5% in 2023.

The EU economy remains particularly vulnerable to developments in energy markets due to its high reliance on Russian fossil fuels. Europe maintains its momentum from the rebound of last year. 2022 first quarter was stronger than estimated and is set to prop up the annual growth. Economic activity in the remainder of the year is expected to be subdued, notwithstanding a promising summer tourism season. Overall, the EU economy is set to continue expanding, but at a significantly slower pace than expected in the Spring 2022 Forecast.

To read the full forecast, please click here.

EBI is always looking for opportunities to make the priorities of the boating sector heard; this time, our latest project, EnviroNaut, provides a platform to pick up on these issues and shed some light on them, ensuring they are relevant for future generations.

The EnviroNaut project will develop the first-ever Environmental Officer course curricula, a position that will enable the nautical tourism sector to grow in a sustainable way, responding not only to the European Green Deal and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, but also to the demands of the general public, consumers look for sustainable options when they go on holiday.

The sector now has the opportunity to participate in the development of this new course and in the training of future generations of nautical tourism workers. Please answer this questionnaire and help us and the rest of the partners to bridge the gap between training and skills needed in the boating industry.

In a high-level event of the European Parliament Intergroup on Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas, the industry and EU institutions came together to discuss the priorities for recreational boating and nautical tourism. It was followed by the launch of a declaration on “Developing common rules for truly European nautical tourism”. The event was co-organised by European Boating Industry and the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions featuring key figures for the industry at European level.

The event of the European Parliament Intergroup on Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas (SEArica) was co-organised by European Boating Industry (EBI) and the Conference of Peripheral and Maritime Regions (CPMR). The influential cross-party Intergroup, covering maritime and inland topics, brings together 107 MEPs from 23 different Member States and 6 political groups. The event stood under the theme of “Developing a truly European and sustainable nautical tourism”. With close to 200 registered participants, it was the setting for a much-needed and enriching conversation on the steps that EU institutions should take to secure the future of European nautical tourism and the boating industry, which is intrinsically linked to the blue economy.

The event concluded with the launch of a declaration initiated by MEP Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Vice-President of SEArica and Vice-Chair of the Transport & Tourism Committee. The declaration will be open for all actors, including MEPs in the SEArica Intergroup, to sign in the next weeks. It underlines the need for a common set of rules for nautical tourism sector at EU level. The main measures highlighted are the recognition of private boaters’ licenses, the mutual recognition of skipper qualifications, the sustainable development of pleasure ports and inland recreational navigation as well as the alignment of reduced VAT rates across the tourism sector to ensure a level playing field.

The host of the event, MEP Jan-Christoph Oetjen, commented “As we heard at the meeting of the SEArica Intergroup, it is of vital importance that the EU institutions support the nautical tourism sector. In the declaration presented at today’s event, we have taken up the essential aspects, which we will push to see implemented at European level.”

The event featured some of the highest-level actors from the European Commission and European Parliament, as well as the German Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (see agenda). Speaking for the industry were Roberto Perocchio (Assomarinas & Confindustria Nautica), Olivier Albahary (Globesailor & FIN) and Harald Kuhnle (Kuhnle Tours & BVWW). They highlighted that the approach for on-land activities needs to be replicated for on-water, such as boaters’ licenses being treated in the same harmonised way as car driving licenses.

All speakers agreed on the need for a more European approach to tackle the issues highlighted at the event. In a thriving sector, this would push sustainable growth of nautical tourism and manufacturing in the next years.

Philip Easthill, EBI’s Secretary-General said “This high-level event with the European Parliament SEArica Intergroup is of utmost importance for the nautical tourism sector. It is an unprecedented opportunity that will open the door to further discussions and collaboration. EBI will not let the momentum stop here. We will continue to work hard to ensure that what has been discussed today, especially what is reflected in the declaration, is translated into action.“

Our project EnviroNaut is now at a crucial point, with partners gathering feedback from stakeholders to develop the course curricula for the position of Environmental Officer.

Your responses to the questionnaire will ensure that the course takes into account your priorities and the issues that are relevant for the sector, take the opportunity for the industry to hear your voice!

From EBI, we want to invite all stakeholders from the boating and nautical tourism sector to participate in the development of the course curriculum for the new position of Environmental Officer by answering this questionnaire. The questionnaire is available in English, Spanish, German and Greek.