Live from Brussels | Newsletter | June 2025
Dear readers,
As the summer season approaches, the hospitality sector is at a critical intersection of resilience, innovation and evolving regulation. This edition of Live from Brussels captures the key issues currently shaping our industry, from competition and workplace safety to sustainable practices and regulatory reform.
At EU level, HOTREC continues to advocate for practical and proportionate regulation. We support the Commission’s new Single Market Strategy, which promises real support for SMEs, and we remain actively engaged in shaping the Green Claims Directive to ensure it promotes sustainability without overburdening small businesses.
In the European Parliament, our Director General Marie Audren shared HOTREC’s vision during the Tourism Task Force meeting, calling for stronger support for skills, a fair digital playing field, and realistic green transition pathways for SMEs. We also joined key EU stakeholder events and contributed to policy discussions on the Quality Jobs Roadmap, highlighting the importance of training and flexible work models.
We continue to push for a balanced Package Travel Directive, to ensure consumer protection and business viability. Meanwhile, new EU-level guidelines to prevent third-party violence and harassment at work mark an important step towards safer workplaces.
Most notably, over 25 national associations have united behind a pan-European collective legal action against Booking .com, following a European Court of Justice ruling on anti-competitive parity clauses. This landmark initiative is not only about compensation, it’s a collective stand for fairer digital markets and the freedom for hotels to set their own terms.
We are also pleased to share insights from Jane Stacey, Head of Tourism at the OECD. Her reflections on the economic outlook, labour market responses and data-driven strategies for SMEs provide timely food for thought as we look towards the future.
As ever, HOTREC remains at the heart of Europe’s tourism and hospitality policy discussions. Thank you for reading and we wish all our members a productive and successful summer season.
The HOTREC Team