The Commission for natural resources of the European Committee of the Regions adopted today Hanspeter Wagner's report on tourism where local leaders call for concrete action to maximise the sector's contribution to growth and jobs.
Tourism plays a major role in the development of many European regions and cities, representing over 10% of the EU GDP and 12% of total employment. "We have to make Europe aware that tourism is not a sideline issue. Tourism is for many regions and cities a key sector to secure economic and social stability. It is time that we act to support this sector. We need a bold and outspoken EU policy supporting the thousands of SMEs in tourism. This is why we urge the European Commission to present a multi-annual strategy and propose to set up a Europe-wide investment platform for SMEs working in the sector" Mr. Wagner stressed.
Ahead of the adoption of the opinion, the Rapporteur met with Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen to introduce the flagship proposal of his report: the joint establishment of a Europe-wide investment platform for SMEs working in the tourism sector by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) with the support of the European Committee of the Regions. The Rapporteur suggests carrying out five pilot projects in model regions by 2018.