GBTA urges EU: Prioritize travel experience and decarbonization

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) has issued a call to the forthcoming leaders of the European Union, emphasizing the importance of enhancing the travel experience for passengers and advancing the decarbonization of travel over the upcoming five years.

In anticipation of the new European Parliament set to be elected in June, GBTA has outlined its policy recommendations for the upcoming EU legislative session, spanning from the current year to 2029. Suzanne Neufang, the CEO of GBTA, expressed the association’s dedication to collaborating with European institutions. She highlighted GBTA’s goal to support the business travel sector in fostering connections among Europeans for work, commerce, and diplomacy, all while aligning with the EU’s ambitious green transition goals.

The GBTA has expressed its advocacy for thoughtful policies by EU legislators post-June elections, aiming to secure the business travel sector’s contribution to Europe’s competitiveness and ecological transition in the subsequent half-decade.

Among the advocated initiatives is the acceleration of efforts to digitalize travel processes, including the implementation of the Entry/Exit System (EES) scheduled for October 2024 and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), anticipated to commence in mid-2025. GBTA believes these advancements will streamline administrative procedures for business travelers and reduce bureaucratic hurdles.

Additionally, GBTA has highlighted the need for ongoing revisions of EU passenger rights regulations to better protect travelers in unpredictable situations and has called for enhanced EU backing for travel decarbonization efforts. This includes promoting broader accessibility to sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) through a more explicit EU legislative framework to encourage and simplify this transition.

Another significant recommendation from GBTA is the modernization of EU ticket distribution regulations to accommodate an increase in multi-modal travel options for business travelers. This reflects a growing demand for integrating various transportation means, especially more sustainable alternatives. The EU’s Multimodal Digital Mobility Services (MDMS) initiative aims to simplify digital planning, comparison, and purchasing of tickets for combined modes of transport within the EU. However, delays in its implementation have been a source of frustration for business travel advocates.

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