Tourism: Commission Communication on Sustainable Development

Publication date: 21 November 2003

In a Communication issued today, the European Commission calls for an EU-wide drive to enhance the economic, social and environmental sustainability of European tourism. The Communication emphasises the need to ensure the consistency of various Community policies and measures affecting the sustainability of tourism and the competitiveness of the industry. It also calls for pro-active co-operation among tourism enterprises, tourist destinations and national, regional and local authorities.

The Commission also intends to establish a Tourism Sustainability Group, in which representatives from all territorial and administrative levels will set out guidelines for the sector. The Tourism Sustainability Group will have the task of drafting a detailed framework for action, which should allocate specific activities to the individual stakeholder groups.

In a global context, the EU approach is to press for the sustainability of tourism to be addressed in policies on trade assistance to the developing countries. It also seeks reinforced co-operation with UN bodies and other international organisations with regard to tourism sustainability.

Background:
This initiative is a concrete follow-up to one of the ten measures that the Commission announced in its Communication "Working together for the future of European tourism" adopted two years ago (IP/01/1582).

For more information:
- Commission Communication: COM(2003) 716, "Basic Orientations for the Sustainability of European Tourism" 
- Extended Impact Assessment/Commission staff working paper: SEC(2003) 1295

  sustainable_tourism_com2003_716.pdf (145 KB)

sustainable_tourism_sec2003_1295.pdf (216 KB)