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ECTAA, Group of National Travel Agents' and Tour Operators' Associations within the EU

ECTAA

ECTAA represents travel agents and tour operators across Europe, with member associations from 27 EU countries plus Norway, Switzerland, Ukraine and the UK, covering around 80,000 businesses.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Valérie Hayer (Member of the European Parliament) and Amazon Europe Core SARL and

28 Jan 2026 · Politique commerciale de l'UE

Meeting with Alex Agius Saliba (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and HOTREC, Hotels, Restaurants & Cafés in Europe

4 Nov 2025 · Package Travel Directive

ECTAA demands VAT reform to level tourism playing field

13 Oct 2025
Topic — The European Commission is revising special VAT rules for travel agents.
Message — ECTAA wants non-EU travel agents to pay EU VAT to ensure fair competition. They also request an opt-out for business sales and simpler methods for calculating tax margins.123
Why — This would cut accounting costs and improve competitiveness against foreign rivals.4
Impact — Non-EU travel agents would lose their current tax-free advantage within Europe.5
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Meeting with Elisabeth Kotthaus (Head of Unit Mobility and Transport)

7 Oct 2025 · Key concerns of ECTAA members ahead of the trilogue discussions

ECTAA warns rail passenger rules threaten travel intermediary viability

22 Sept 2025
Topic — Targeted revision of EU rail passenger rights regarding combined separate tickets.
Message — ECTAA requests a thorough impact assessment before extending passenger rights to combined multi-operator tickets. They insist travel agents must not be made liable for costs like care and compensation.123
Why — Avoiding liability protects intermediaries from unsustainable costs and prevents them from exiting the rail market.4
Impact — Consumers and smaller rail operators would face higher ticket prices and reduced travel options.5
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Meeting with René Repasi (Member of the European Parliament)

20 Jun 2025 · Payment Services Directive

European Travel Agents Call for Mandatory Airline Insolvency Protection

9 Jun 2025
Topic — The EU is updating aviation market rules to reflect current market and environmental changes.
Message — ECTAA demands mandatory insolvency protection for airlines and unrestricted reimbursements for travel intermediaries. They also advocate for guaranteed access to all fares and free standard-sized cabin bags.123
Why — Securing mandatory insolvency protection and content access would lower financial risks and operational costs.45
Impact — Large airline groups would lose the power to restrict lower fares to their own channels.6
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Meeting with Elena Kountoura (Member of the European Parliament)

26 Mar 2025 · Meeting with ECTAA’s Ambassadors

Meeting with Arash Saeidi (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs

11 Mar 2025 · Echange de point de vue

Meeting with Arba Kokalari (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

4 Mar 2025 · Package Travel Directive

Meeting with Regina Doherty (Member of the European Parliament)

19 Feb 2025 · Multi-modal transport

Meeting with Maria Grapini (Member of the European Parliament)

19 Feb 2025 · Probleme din sectorul turismului

Meeting with Elena Kountoura (Member of the European Parliament)

18 Feb 2025 · Meeting with ECTAA representatives

Meeting with Nikolina Brnjac (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion) and HOTREC, Hotels, Restaurants & Cafés in Europe

17 Feb 2025 · Package Travel Directive

Meeting with Denis Nesci (Member of the European Parliament)

17 Feb 2025 · Package Travel

Meeting with Cynthia Ní Mhurchú (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and International Road Transport Union Permanent Delegation to the EU and

30 Jan 2025 · Package Travel Directive

Meeting with Kosma Złotowski (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

29 Jan 2025 · Passenger rights in the context of multimodal journeys

Meeting with Andrey Novakov (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

27 Jan 2025 · Passenger rights file

Meeting with Alice Kuhnke (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion) and Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs and

27 Jan 2025 · Passenger rights

Meeting with Vicent Marzà Ibáñez (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

14 Jan 2025 · Enforcement of passenger rights

Meeting with Cynthia Ní Mhurchú (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur for opinion)

13 Jan 2025 · Transport matters

Meeting with Borja Giménez Larraz (Member of the European Parliament)

13 Dec 2024 · Tourism sector priorities + tourists' data collection

Meeting with Jens Gieseke (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

5 Nov 2024 · Multimodale Passagierrechte

Meeting with Maria Grapini (Member of the European Parliament)

16 Oct 2024 · Discutie asupra calatoriilor organizate focus pe aspecte legale si tehnice

Meeting with Johan Danielsson (Member of the European Parliament) and Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs and eu travel tech

3 Sept 2024 · Möjligheten att boka och resa med flera trafikslag med en biljett

Meeting with Daniel Attard (Member of the European Parliament)

24 Jul 2024 · Introduction to ECTAA

Meeting with Jan-Christoph Oetjen (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies and

2 Apr 2024 · Stakeholder Meetings on Passenger Mobility Package

EU Travel Agents Demand Mandatory Airline Insolvency Protection

13 Mar 2024
Topic — The EU is updating passenger rights to improve enforcement and reimbursement resilience.
Message — ECTAA demands mandatory airline failure protection for consumer safety. They insist agents should only refund customers after airlines have reimbursed the agent. Finally, they oppose "free of charge" reimbursement rules for intermediaries.123
Why — Agents avoid the financial risk of pre-financing refunds for cancelled flights.45
Impact — Airlines would face mandatory costs to fund insurance against their own insolvency.67
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Travel agents demand free access to carrier travel data

13 Mar 2024
Topic — The Commission is proposing new rules to protect passengers during multimodal journeys.
Message — The group requests free access to carrier information and opposes the mandatory sharing of passenger contact details with transport providers. They also argue that intermediaries should not be forced to provide reimbursement services for free.123
Why — This would protect their business model by avoiding data costs and preventing carriers from stealing customers.45
Impact — Transport carriers lose the ability to charge for data or communicate directly with all passengers.6
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ECTAA warns package travel rules threaten industry liquidity

12 Mar 2024
Topic — The European Commission is revising rules governing consumer protection for package holidays.
Message — ECTAA opposes restrictions on advance payments and argues that revised definitions are overly complex and impractical. They insist package tour operators should not be treated as insurers for cancellations.123
Why — Maintaining current payment structures preserves business liquidity and prevents insurance costs rising.45
Impact — Vulnerable consumers lose access to flexible payment plans and face higher holiday prices.67
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Meeting with Ciarán Cuffe (Member of the European Parliament)

28 Feb 2024 · Passenger rights and package travel

Meeting with Dita Charanzová (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

16 Feb 2024 · Package Travel Directive

Meeting with István Ujhelyi (Member of the European Parliament) and APCO Worldwide

10 Oct 2023 · Tourism

Meeting with István Ujhelyi (Member of the European Parliament)

15 Sept 2023 · Tourism

ECTAA: Green claims rules risk silencing travel industry sustainability

21 Jul 2023
Topic — The EU is proposing stricter rules for substantiating environmental claims and green labels.
Message — ECTAA requests simpler verification for SMEs and clarification on intermediary liability. They urge the Commission to avoid duplicating audits for existing certification schemes.12
Why — Simplified rules would reduce compliance costs and help SMEs promote sustainable tourism choices.3
Impact — Consumers lose access to sustainability data if companies stop making environmental claims.4
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Meeting with István Ujhelyi (Member of the European Parliament)

19 Jul 2023 · Tourism

Meeting with István Ujhelyi (Member of the European Parliament)

17 May 2023 · Tourism

Response to Guidelines on exclusionary abuses of dominance

24 Apr 2023

As part of its mandate, ECTAA filed a complaint with DG Competition in 2019 in order to inform the Commission of infringements of EU competition law by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and to ask the Commission to start an investigation into the alleged infringements and to put them to an end. This is a very complex case, which, without Guidelines from the Commission, would have led to even more questions surrounding the application of articles 101 and 102 TFEU. One of the main questions in this case is whether or not the travel agents can be regarded as genuine agents for the purpose of art. 101 TFEU. As many know, the prohibition on collusive agreements laid down by that article does not apply where the agent does not bear any significant financial or commercial risks in relation to the contracts concluded or negotiated on behalf of the principal. This means that, if travel agents were genuine agents, IATAs practices could not be regarded as agreements prohibited by art. 101 TFEU. Of course, it is the position of ECTAA that this is clearly not the case. The practice of IATA cannot only be seen as a vertical agreement under art. 101 TFEU, but it also constitutes an abuse of dominance under art. 102 TFEU. As a clear example of IATAs dominance, it can be mentioned that the Association represents around 290 airlines, or 82% of total air traffic in the world. This evidently makes it an indispensable business partner for travel agents. The practices which can be regarded as infringements of art. 102 TFEU are manifold. Maybe the most striking example is that IATA opposes travel agents who want to offer tickets at adjusted or lower fares than those of the airlines themselves. The framework agreement between IATA and the travel agents explicitly states that travel agents must undertake not to directly or indirectly procure the sale of transportation otherwise than strictly in accordance with the fares, rules and conditions applicable to the sale of such transportation as published in that other carriers tariff. Thus, travel agents are bound by the airlines prices, but also by all other ticketing rules. If they do not comply, travel agents are threatened with radical sanctions, such as the withdrawal of their ticketing authority. At the same time, airlines can still offer the same tickets at more advantageous conditions through their direct sale or preferred distribution channels. As the representative organisation for European Travel Agents and Tour Operators Associations, ECTAA considers itself obliged to follow this case closely and all legislative evolutions surrounding it. It hopes that it is able to give the Commission further insight into the travel sector and the specificities regarding possible breaches of art. 102 TFEU.
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Response to VAT in the Digital Age

4 Apr 2023

ECTAA, representing travel agents and tour operators in Europe, welcomes the opportunity given by the European Commission to provide its views on the ViDA package adopted on 8 December 2022, and more specifically the proposed VAT rules for platforms supplying short-term accommodation (and/or transport services), where the underlying supplier does not charge VAT. In short, ECTAA opposes the introduction of the Deemed Supplier Regime (DRS) as it simplifies the VAT requirements of typically smaller untaxed accommodation providers and tax collection by Member States, while pushing all the VAT burdens and costs onto platforms, many of whom are small and medium-sized companies. We also consider that the proposed platform rules could benefit from clarification in certain areas. Please find further details in the uploaded document.
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Meeting with Maurits-Jan Prinz (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton)

20 Dec 2022 · package travel & sustainable tourism

Response to Better protection for passengers and their rights

14 Jan 2022

ECTAA welcomes the call for evidence for an impact assessment on passenger rights. We are happy to see that reference is made to the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy as well as the report of the European Court of Auditors report on the application of air passenger rights during the pandemic. - B2B refund issues resulting from a lack of regulation thereof. This leads to situations where package organisers are faced with unduly financial burdens while not receiving refunds from suppliers. Intermediaries and their customers were often not refunded or only with massive delays discriminating these customers. Intermediaries and tour operators do not hold passenger's monies and were depending on suppliers refund the prepaid monies. Therefore, it would be necessary to have measures in place to make sure that transport operators (especially airlines) refund in time to make possible that travel agents and tour operators can refund in timely manner to passengers. - A mandatory insolvency protection for transport operators (especially airlines) is urgently needed! One airline per month fails on average with massive consequences for customers and the whole travel value chain. Voluntary solutions in place have proven not to work and are no solution. We are happy to see that the topic is already included. Transport services (in particular air travel services) that require the traveller to pay in advance should be protected against the service provider's insolvency. B2B refunds should also be protected through a mandatory airline insolvency protection The sharing of customer contact details is not mentioned, but needs to be addressed. Should an organizer or ticket seller have an alternative system in place to inform customers it should not have to provide contact details of such customer/passenger. We are happy to see that the review is taking into account other travel legislation, e.g. the Package Travel Directive, the initiative on multimodal ticketing services, etc. Special solutions for cases of mass cancellations that allow travel businesses fulfil their obligations must be found.
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Response to Revision of the provision of air services

6 Dec 2021

ECTAA welcomes the opportunity to participate in this call for evidence for an impact assessment. Please find our feedback attached. We look forward to participate in the upcoming consultation process.
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Response to Contingency plan for transport

24 Sept 2021

ECTAA welcomes the Contingency plan for transport. What is missing in the roadmap are the issues of air passenger rights, the lack of airline insolvency protection as well as lessons learned as mentioned in the report of the European Court of Auditors (ECA). The roadmap and public consultation should match content and more focus is needed on e.g. the Commission recommendation on travel restrictions (lack of alignment), need for state aid and conditionality on processing refunds, air passenger rights (e.g. B2B refund issues).
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Meeting with Didier Reynders (Commissioner) and eu travel tech and

8 Jul 2021 · EU Digital COVID Certificate

Meeting with Anthony Whelan (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen) and Airlines for Europe and

1 Jul 2021 · EU COVID Certificate

Meeting with Chris Uregian (Cabinet of Vice-President Margaritis Schinas), Despina Spanou (Cabinet of Vice-President Margaritis Schinas), Maria-Myrto Kanellopoulou (Cabinet of Vice-President Margaritis Schinas) and

1 Jul 2021 · Implementation Covid Certificate

Meeting with Gaëlle Michelier (Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean), Pablo Fabregas Martinez (Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean)

19 Mar 2021 · ECTAA presentation of their position paper on Strategy for restart of travel and tourism

Meeting with Isabelle Perignon (Cabinet of Commissioner Didier Reynders)

8 Mar 2021 · consumer protection and the application of the Package Travel Directive (PTD); exchange of views and update by ECTAA on the current situation for travel agents; possible solutions to prevent further damage to their businesses.

Meeting with Gaëlle Michelier (Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean) and eu travel tech

25 Nov 2020 · Follow up meeting to discuss latest developments in the sector.

Response to Possible revision of the Code of Conduct for computerised reservation systems (CRS)

31 Jul 2020

A Regulation of Computer Reservation Systems for flights is needed more than ever. However due to market developments with new players providing the same or similar services like the traditional CRS/GDS an enlargement of the scope and a proper enforcement is urgently needed to achieve a level playing field and allow for real transparency and choice. While there are requirements to comply with fare transparency rules for the indirect distribution, there are no equivalent requirements for new players providing the same or similar services like the CRS/GDS left alone for airlines. ECTAA advocates for an obligation on airlines to provide a neutral, comprehensive and non-discriminatory display of their fares in all their distribution channels, to make them bookable including defined core ancillary services. The unbiased and neutral display regulated in the CRS CoC allows transparency of transport products and services and enhances consumer confidence. There is a trend with airlines adding additional charges on indirect distribution channels (either directly with CRS charges or indirectly by pushing inferior direct connect services into the market), removing content from neutral and transparent channels and working on even more possibilities to discriminate on fares. In the field of distribution of air services, agents compete fiercely with airlines that push more and more their direct sales through their own websites, apps etc. The behaviour large airline groups (e.g. LHG, IAG, AFKL) is undermining the principles of fair competition and transparency stated numerous times in the regulation 80/2009. An effective regulation like the CRS Code of Conduct with an enlarged scope to reflect the current market developments is needed. We are happy to see that updating the scope is already considered as a possible policy option and we look forward to participating in an upcoming impact assessment.
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Meeting with Adina-Ioana Vălean (Commissioner)

28 Apr 2020 · Transport + travel

Meeting with Didier Reynders (Commissioner) and

15 Apr 2020 · impact of COVID-19 on the sector

Meeting with Isabelle Perignon (Cabinet of Commissioner Didier Reynders)

7 Apr 2020 · impact COVID-19 on consumers

Meeting with Gaelle Garnier (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton), Valère Moutarlier (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton) and

7 Apr 2020 · Impact of Covid-19 crises on Tourism

Response to Evaluation of the special VAT scheme for travel agents

3 Mar 2020

ECTAA is the European umbrella organisation of travel agents and tour operators. Members are the national associations of travel agents and tour operators of 26 Member States as well as UK, Norway and Switzerland. We welcome the Commission’s announcement to carry out an evaluation, in order to determine whether the special scheme is overall still relevant for meeting the objectives, adds value at the European level, and is effective, internally consistent, coherent with other EU policies, efficient and not unnecessarily burdensome. Generally speaking, the special scheme has been working well for the trade and avoiding the need for multiple VAT registrations is much appreciated. However, the scheme also creates competitive distortions which need to be eliminated. In addition, the market for travel services has undergone fundamental changes since the introduction of the special VAT arrangements in 1977 that are not reflected in the VAT rules. Furthermore, the application of the special scheme among the Member States is divergent. Thus, the scheme is in need of revision to reflect market changes and also to remove the distortions created by the scheme both in terms of its divergent applications and the weaknesses inherent in the current scheme. As indicated in the roadmap, the Commission has conducted a very comprehensive study on the review of the special scheme and options for reform. ECTAA would welcome if the evaluation (and a possible impact assessment afterwards) would take into consideration the problems already identified in the study. For this reason, we invite the Commission to assess the special scheme according to the proposed criteria and taking into consideration the problem areas identified in the study. This should include the following:  Effectiveness To what extent have the objectives been met? Are the objectives still relevant? Have the needs evolved/changed in a way requiring adjustment of the rules? Is the scheme effective for B2B transactions or do VAT rules influence the business?  Efficiency What are the benefits of the special scheme? What are the drawbacks? Are there differences between Member States and if yes, how can the scheme be improved to level the playing field between enterprises established in different countries? Is the scheme still efficient in the current market context? Does it inadvertently create distortions of competition or other problems in the market? The European Court of Justice determined that the margin should be calculated on a transaction basis, rather than on a global basis and that it should be reported at the receipt of a prepayment rather than at departure when the actual costs are known. To what extent does such a calculation meet the objective of simplicity of the special scheme i.e. are the benefits of simplicity of the special scheme outweighed by the costs imposed upon businesses by such a transaction based calculation ? The evaluation should assess the regulatory costs and benefits as they accrue to different businesses and Member States.  Coherence To what extent is the special scheme coherent with the overall objectives of the VAT system? Is it compliant with the principle of taxation at destination and tax neutrality?  Relevance To what extent are the objectives still relevant for all actors in the market? Can certain supplies be excluded from the scheme where simplicity provided by the scheme is not required?  European Value Added: Travel being a cross-border activity that can be supplied from any place, even outside the EU, has the special scheme achieved European value added, if many supplies can be supplied by non-EU operators that are not subject to the same VAT rules? ECTAA looks forward to contributing to the evaluation process and hopes that the evaluation will conclude the need to reform the special scheme and move forward with an impact assessment of possible reform options.
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Meeting with Eduard Hulicius (Cabinet of Commissioner Věra Jourová)

10 Mar 2019 · Representative actions and Package travel

Response to Defining whether UK nationals will be subject to a visa requirement when crossing external borders (Brexit preparedness)

11 Jan 2019

NET – the Network for the European Private Sector in Tourism – which regroups 8 main European tourism stakeholder associations, welcomes the Regulation proposal to exempt UK citizens from visa requirement after Brexit. Travel and tourism flows between the UK and EU27 are very important. According to Eurostat data, 76% of the total trips carried out in 2016 by UK residents are to EU countries and 67% of the total number of tourists visiting the UK are from the EU. It is established that visa obligations are a deterrent to would-be travellers and divert demand to destinations with an open or a less restrictive visa policy. This would be to the detriment of the UK and the EU27. In addition, NET welcomes that the UK agrees to accept EU ID cards, at least for a period, for EU27 travellers visiting the UK after Brexit. In return the EU should consider allowing UK citizens to use EU/EEA border control lanes. There is no additional security risk and it helps with goodwill, business, and recognises that infrastructure would take a while to catch up. NET fully supports all measures that avoid any disruptions to the travel flows between the UK and EU27. NET members include CLIA, ECTAA, EFCO&HPA, ETOA, EUROGITES, HOTREC, IAAPA, IRU.
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Meeting with Blaz Pongracic (Cabinet of Commissioner Violeta Bulc)

22 Jan 2018 · Meeting with Mr DE BLUST and Ms Ewa GRABIAK

Response to A New Deal for Consumers – revision of the Injunctions Directive

28 Nov 2017

ECTAA members would favor the baseline scenario (scenario 1). EU legislations already provide a wide range of judicial and out of court systems (ADR/ODR, ECC Network) enabling consumers to seek redress, even in cross border situations, from traders infringing consumer protection laws. Moreover the recent revision of the CPC regulation should facilitate the cessation of unlawful activities in an increased number of sectors of activities, including travel and transport. In our opinion, these improvements are sufficient at this stage and the efficiency of these new measures should be assessed before considering new regulations.
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Meeting with Henrik Hololei (Director-General Mobility and Transport)

13 Sept 2016 · Common rules for the operation of air services, Computerised Reservation System

Meeting with Elżbieta Bieńkowska (Commissioner)

22 Apr 2015 · Meeting with representatives of ECTAA (Group of European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Associations within the EU)

Meeting with Paraskevi Michou (Acting Director-General Justice and Consumers)

27 Mar 2015 · Package travel Directive