On 7 September 2021, the European Economic and Social Committee held a public hearing in Rhodes on tourism in the EU. The meeting was held in the context of an own-initiative opinion on tourism from the EESC, following up to the opinion on the Commission communication “Tourism and transport in 2020 and beyond”.

The hearing brought together different voices from public and private bodies, all reporting shared experiences from tourism SMEs after COVID-19. Speaking at the panel on “The SME perspective on Tourism and Transport” was EBI Secretary General Philip Easthill, who highlighted the impacts of the pandemic on SMEs from the boating sector. As smaller businesses, these companies had less resources to face such difficult crises, with island and peripheral destinations in the Mediterranean suffering more losses. The trend towards staycation and outdoor tourism provided a boost to the sector. EBI further stressed the opportunities for destinations and regions that must be seized by EU and national policy-makers, by creating an enabling environment that for instances harmonises reduced VAT rates.

In the panel, Chair of the EESC Study Group Mr Fornea Dimitru positively commented that the understanding of boating as a sector for everyone is increasing.  EESC Board member Mr Pierre Jean Coulon further expressed support for EBI’s views and called for the creation of a European Alliance of Tourism, similar to the EU initiative on hydrogen and batteries.

On 26 August 2021, the Commission published Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/1407, which provides references of certain harmonised standards published in the Official Journal of the European Union.

The new Implementing Decision adds new standards that implement the Recreational Craft Directive. These are:

• Small craft - Steering wheels (EN ISO 23411:2021)
• Small craft – Fire-resistant fuel hoses (EN ISO 7840:2021)
• Small craft – Non-fire-resistant fuel hoses (EN ISO 8469:2021)
• Seacocks and through-hull fittings (EN ISO 9093:2021)
• Inboard diesel engines, engine-mounted fuel, oil and electrical components (EN ISO 16147:2021)
• Remote steering systems for single outboard motors of 15kW to 40kW power (EN ISO 9775:2017)
• Remote steering systems for inboard mini jet boats (EN ISO 15652:2017)
• Inboard diesel engines, engine-mounted fuel and electrical components (EN ISO 16147:2017).

The full list of harmonised standards can be consulted here.

At the beginning of September 2021, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) published the EMTER report (European Maritime Transport Environmental Report) together with the European Environment Agency (EEA). The Report aims to provide a factual analysis of maritime transport’s environmental impacts, while suggesting future actions to alleviate these pressures. The joint report touches upon many pivotal topics for maritime transport, including alternative fuels which are being assessed by the European Commission as well in the “Fit for 55” package.

More in detail, the EMTER report includes in its analysis the recreational boating sector to a small degree, recognising that pleasure boating and recreational activities in ports and marinas are a contextual part of the activities taking place at sea and in inland waterways. EBI has contributed to the report by representing the sector and providing comments on a draft version. Various points throughout the report touch on the recreational boating sector, to which EBI has contributed in some parts during the development process with comments and clarifications:

• Recognition of the EU funded project Pharos4MPAs, which also investigates the environmental impact of anchoring and promotes policy recommendations and practical alternatives (page 91);
• Recognition that increased demand for recreational craft in the last two decades has led to the development of more marinas (page 92);
• An exhaustive list of activities related to ports are listed, with specific recognition of “recreational” and “touristic” activities (page 94);
• A better wording to recognise the different types of vessels navigating EU waters (cruise ships, container ships, oil tankers, vehicle carriers, refrigerated bulks), with a specific definition of “pleasure craft” in the Glossary (page 164).

You can download and read the full report here.

The European Commission launched an online public consultation on the review of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The Directive was first adopted in June 2008 with the aim to protect more effectively the marine environment across Europe, establishing a framework for all Member States to achieve and/or maintain Good Environmental Status (GES) by 2020. The report on the first implementation cycle was adopted by the Commission June 2020.

The review aims to look more in detail how the Directive performed so far, and it seeks to collect views of citizens, institutions and organisations from the public and private sector. The consultation will be open until 21 October 2021, and the Directive will be reviewed by mid-2023.

More information about the procedure can be found here and the public consultation can be accessed here.

On 5 and 6 July 2021, the European Commission held the Horizon Info Day on Cluster 5 (Climate, Energy and Mobility). The two-day event was organised within the framework of the EU Research and Innovation Programme 2021-2027, focusing on the green and digital transitions for the post-COVID 19 recovery. Details of the funding opportunities, Horizon Europe Missions and grant agreements were discussed.

All the sessions have been recorded and are available here.

In July 2021 EBI joined the #OpenUpToEurope campaign, promoted by the European Travel Commission, a non-profit organisation responsible for the promotion of Europe as a tourist destination with national destination marketing organisations as members. The new campaign has been started to support the reopening of European tourism and boost travel confidence over the summer, and it is co-funded by the European union.

As a part of the campaign, a dedicated website has been launched, collecting the latest news concerning travel destinations, information regarding travel restrictions and travel tips to make the most of the summer holidays.

EBI has proudly joined the initiative as a supporting partner, alongside other organisations active at EU level in promoting the recovery and restart of the tourism sector.

Read more about the initiative and download the social media toolkit here.

The European Commission plans to adopt a new Standardisation Strategy in the second half of 2021, in order to ensure that standardisation supports the European strategic autonomy. Ensuring technological sovereignty is crucial to the success of many EU policies, such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. The published roadmap will look at the entire system of standardisation in Europe, including harmonised standards which cover the Recreational Craft Directive (RCD).

EBI participates in the consultation launched by the European Commission, welcoming the initiative and highlighting positions relevant to the sector. The role of recreational boat-building as a key sector for the European economy is underlined, as manufacturing still predominantly takes place in the EU. The new Strategy must continue to safeguard the sector’s competitiveness and its export capacity, protecting the requirements of the RCD. Furthermore, the EU should improve the process of standardising innovative products, such as hybrid, hydrogen and marinized electric engines. Doing this would stimulate the uptake of these products, helping in achieving the Green Deal. The EU should also increase its activities in international standard setting organisations, such as ISO and CEN.

A pivotal priority for EBI is improving and harmonising accident investigations on recreational boats at the EU level. Current investigations are not harmonised at EU level, making their use in standard development almost impossible.

Other suggestions from EBI include: speeding up the harmonisation process; providing legal experts to the Working Groups to better assess legal issues that could negatively impact the final assessment; and further aligning the standardisation process between the UK and the EU.

The full EBI position paper can be found here.

At the beginning of July 2021, the Commission published the new Sustainable Finance Strategy and the new European Green Bond Standard (EUGBS). Both initiatives aim to further establish the European leadership in setting international standards for sustainable finance.

More in detail, the Sustainable Finance Strategy aims to provide SMEs and consumers the right tools to access transition finance, extending the existing tools. It further aims to enhance the resilience of economic and financial systems facing sustainability risks, while at the same time increasing the contribution of the financial sector to sustainability.

The high investor interest for green bonds is guiding the Commission’s proposal for a Regulation on the EUGBS. This instrument will help in setting a “gold standard” for both public and private investors, helping them in raising funds to finance ambitious investments. The ultimate goal is to further help them in avoiding greenwashing and showing that their investments are aligned with the as EU Taxonomy, which establishes an EU framework to facilitate sustainable investment.

Concerning the latter, the Commission further adopted a Delegated Act supplementing Article 8 of the Taxonomy Regulation, which requires financial and non-financial actors to provide investors with information regarding the environmental performance of their economic activities and assets. The new Act now specifies the exact information to be disclosed by either non-financial companies or large banks, including for instance the share of environmentally sustainable activities they finance or invest in.

Read more about the new proposals here.

On 1 July 2021, the EU Digital COVID Certificate entered into force, meaning that EU citizens and residents now can have their certificate issued and verified across the EU Member States, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. It also covers Switzerland according to latest updates. After the pandemic hit in 2020 and disrupted free movement across the EU, the aim of the EU Digital Covid Certificate is to facilitate safe and free movement this summer and in the future. The document can be obtained either after a full cycle of vaccination has been completed, after a negative COVID test or after a full recovery from COVID.

As previously reported by EBI, the European Commission started developing the guidelines for the Certificate back in March 2021. Subsequently, in May the European Parliament and the Council reached a provisional deal on the digital certificate, with the Parliament finally approving the deal in its plenary session at the beginning of June.

Read more about the current application of the EU Digital Covid Certificate here.