Cappelli Presents Unique Initiative for the Establishment of an EU Fund for Tourism

Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli proposed the establishment of a special EU fund for tourism and the formation of a working group within EU institutions at the conference on tourism and economic growth, the Ministry of Tourism reported on Wednesday in a statement about the “Tourism and Economic Growth” conference held this week in Sofia.

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“At the summit meeting of all EU tourism ministers, Minister Cappelli proposed a unique initiative in the field of European tourism on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Croatia. He presented a proposal for the establishment of a special EU fund for tourism that would facilitate easier access to EU funds for financing investments and sustainable development in tourism, reducing the impact of climate change, education, and other areas important for the development of tourism in Europe. He also presented the idea of establishing a tourism working group within EU institutions to discuss ways to address the numerous challenges facing the tourism sector,” the Ministry emphasized in a statement about the conference held on February 12 and 13 in Sofia.

The conference was organized on the occasion of Bulgaria’s presidency of the Council of the European Union and brought together tourism ministers and accompanying delegations from 28 EU member states.

Minister Cappelli highlighted that tourism represents one of the fastest-growing economic activities in the EU with a significant impact on growth, society, development, and employment, and as such deserves a better position within EU institutions.

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“The main goal of the European Union’s tourism policy must be to maintain Europe as the leading global tourist destination. However, tourism has not been considered a priority in previous EU documents, but rather a tool for enhancing the competitiveness of the overall European economy. Tourism does not have its own working body within the European Commission, nor does it have a specific position in the multiannual financial framework 2014-2020, nor the possibility of direct financing of activities, which we believe should definitely be corrected in the new budgetary framework. Direct financing of the tourism sector would allow for easier responses to the increasing challenges, while also facilitating investments in tourism, which are a focus for the European Commission,” emphasized Cappelli.

According to the Ministry of Tourism’s statement, the mentioned initiative of the Croatian Government, presented by Cappelli, received support from a large number of EU member states, particularly from the European Commission’s Commissioner for Tourism Elzbieta Bienkowska and the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Zurab Pololikashvili. This initiative will soon be presented to the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani and the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker with the aim of reaching an agreement on the inclusion of a special EU fund for tourism in the EU budget as well as the establishment of a tourism working group, the Ministry reported.

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“Launching this initiative is of great importance for both Croatia and other EU member states where tourism is one of the main drivers of the economy, and I am extremely pleased with the support of my colleagues who attended the meeting. I hope we will be able to jointly fight for tourism to receive its own fund within the EU budget for the first time,” emphasized Cappelli.

As part of the conference, the Croatian Minister of Tourism also participated in the panel discussion “Tourism and Economic Growth – Factors for Tourism Development,” during which the tourism industry was discussed as a factor of sustainability for economic development in a regional and European context, tourism as a factor for the integration of people, goods, and services in the Balkan region, and EU policy as a catalyst for the development of the tourism industry from the perspective of competitiveness, consumer protection, and joint initiatives.

During his visit to Bulgaria, Minister Cappelli also held a series of bilateral meetings, including discussions with Bulgarian Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova, Malta’s Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi, Turkey’s Tourism Minister Numan Kurtulmus, and the state secretaries for tourism from Poland and Austria.