The European Commission is currently reviewing several issues that have a bearing on the business travel market. Guild of European Business Travel Agents (GEBTA) Members met with the Commission officials in charge of the various European measures in the pipeline, to ensure that the interests of the business travel management companies and their customers are taken into consideration. One of the most contentious issues that may affect the business travel market is the planned review of the European consumer protection legislation on package travel.

Mr. Paolo Piras, GEBTA President said “The package travel Directive is primarily an instrument to protect the ‘private’ customer. B2B transactions, such as those performed by business travel management companies, should remain excluded from the scope, as the requirement of this legislation are not adapted to the business travel sector nor are business customers buying a typical package.”

Furthermore, on the issue of visa and consular protection, GEBTA expressed its support to the information campaign planned by the European Commission informing EU citizens on their rights in respect of consular protection when traveling outside Europe. On the other hand GEBTA expressed grave concerns about the legislation proposal consolidating and amending visa fees and formalities that foreign visitors have to comply with when traveling to Europe. “This will incite retaliatory measures from other countries, which will make traveling more costly and burdensome for our customers when traveling to countries requiring a visa,” noted Mr. Piras.