Resolution on the negative impact of the bankruptcy of Thomas Cook on EU tourism

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the negative impact of the bankruptcy of Thomas Cook on EU tourism.

The text adopted in plenary had been tabled as a joint resolution by the EPP, S&D, Renew, ECR and GUE/NGL groups.

Parliament expressed its deep concern about the fate of the 600 000 people stranded abroad and the fate of the thousands of European employees who have lost their jobs as well as the thousands of local suppliers and subsidiaries who have been faced with serious financial difficulties due to the collapse of Thomas Cook.

Preventing future crises

The resolution called on the competent authorities to carry out an analysis of the reasons for the bankruptcy of Thomas Cook in order to determine whether preventive measures could have been taken to avoid its sudden collapse. This should help to anticipate future crises and lay down policies to minimise risks in a sector that is so important for the EU.

The Commission is called on to:

- assess how existing EU legislation and the respective laws in the Member States have responded to this huge rescue operation and to examine how it could participate swiftly and effectively in a similar situation in the future;

- consider further measures to maintain a high level of consumer and employee protection in the event of a company's insolvency;

- assess and adopt all necessary measures to defend the EU’s interests and avoid similar situations in the future, and to draw lessons from this experience that can be applied in the negotiation of future air service agreements.

Protecting workers and consumers

Parliament urged the competent authorities in the affected Member States to ensure that wages already earned are paid in full to the Thomas Cook workers who have been made redundant. Member States are called on to ensure that workers affected by insolvency are guaranteed their earned wages and retirement benefits.

The Commission was asked to identify, and to enable swift and effective access to, EU financial instruments that could compensate for the harm caused to the sector and help to improve its competitiveness, and to guarantee a high level of consumer protection. It was also called on to evaluate the feasibility of adopting specific actions and/or measures to prevent situations of this kind from happening again in order to further boost consumer protection and passenger rights.

The resolution called on the Member States affected by the bankruptcy of Thomas Cook to:

- make full use of the possibilities of the EGF, in particular with regard to collective applications from SMEs;

- help the many companies affected to cope with the negative consequences of this bankruptcy by using the tool provided for by the European Social Fund and other EU, national, regional and local instruments.

European strategy

Stressing the importance of sustained social dialogue, Parliament called on the Commission to identify best practices on the basis of the measures applied by national, regional and local authorities, as well as those undertaken by SMEs in the sector, with a view to developing a common EU strategy for the tourism sector.

Members reiterated the importance of establishing an EU Strategy for Sustainable Tourism with coordinated and concrete measures, for example a crisis management mechanism and mechanisms for effective cooperation in the tourism sector. They also called on the Commission to introduce a specific budget line for the tourism sector in its next draft budget, as requested by Parliament for the multiannual financial framework 2021-2027.

Parliament called on the Commission to submit, after consulting the relevant social partners, a proposal for a legal act on the right of workers to information and consultation and the anticipation and management of restructuring in line with the detailed recommendations set out in Parliament’s resolution of 15 January 2013.

It reiterated the need, as regards the amendment of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 on the enforcement of air passenger rights and air carrier liability, for mandatory mechanisms to maintain the current level of protection of passengers in the event of insolvency or bankruptcy, including through the creation of guarantee funds or insurance contracts by airlines guaranteeing assistance, reimbursement, compensation and re-routing.