EU auditors to assess how the EU supports tourism

Source: European Court of Auditors i, published on Wednesday, November 4 2020.

The European Court of Auditors (ECA) is analysing whether EU funding for public investments in tourism was effective and provided suitable support for the sector prior to the pandemic, and what the EU is doing to limit the negative impact of the COVID-19 crisis.

The aim of the EU’s tourism policy is to maintain Europe's standing as a leading tourist destination, while maximising the industry's contribution to growth and employment and promoting cooperation between EU countries. In 2019 the European Union was the world’s most visited region: it is estimated that tourism accounts for about 10 % of GDP and 12 % of all jobs in the EU. Financial support for tourism mostly comes from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF). Together, these two funds allocated €4 billion to the tourism sector in 2014-2020. So far, they have co-funded almost 10 000 projects covering a wide range of activities, from promotion to hospitality, infrastructure and development of local attractions.

In 2020, the pandemic has put over 7 million tourism jobs in jeopardy and many businesses and satellite activities at risk of bankruptcy. Travel restrictions and health measures are also hindering recovery. The EU is currently supporting tourism by addressing the liquidity crunch in the sector, and by proposing harmonised criteria and procedures to restore safe, unrestricted free movement. Moreover, while examining how to make the EU’s tourism industry more resilient to economic shocks, the Commission has identified longer-term challenges related to sustainability, digitalisation and the competitiveness of small and medium-sized tourism companies.

Investments in tourism are relevant for many EU citizens, both as employees and as consumers”, said Pietro Russo, the ECA member responsible for the audit. “We want to see whether the EU money for the sector has been spent effectively so far. We will also review the measures taken by the Commission to limit the negative impact of the COVID-19 crisis on tourism.”

Press Release: EU auditors to assess how the EU supports tourism