Joint HOTREC and EFFAT Statement on Rebuilding the Hospitality Sector
Joint HOTREC and EFFAT Statement on Rebuilding the Hospitality Sector
Brussels, 27 November 2020
Main message
The hospitality sector is key for Europe from both an economic and a social point of view and it has a high capacity to contribute to growth in other sectors of the economy. The relaunch of the sector must, therefore, be considered as a strategic priority of the EU.
Hospitality counts among the sectors hit hardest by the COVID-19 crisis, which has had an unprecedented and devastating impact: thousands of companies may disappear, and millions of jobs are at risk, and the sector is facing great uncertainty for the future with no clear prospect of economic recovery.
Hospitality is a crucial service for Europeans’ quality of life and well-being. The closure of hospitality establishments and sectoral restrictions adopted as part of lockdown measures in most European countries have shown how much these establishments matter to public morale. We strongly believe that Europeans will need to see thriving hospitality establishments to feel that the worst of the COVID-19 crisis is past and regain confidence in the ‘new normal’, post-pandemic world.
Urgent action is required to stabilise the sector and to put it back on a path towards a sustainable recovery and future - economically, socially and environmentally.
EFFAT and HOTREC, the European social partners for the hospitality sector, call upon EU Institutions and especially EU Member States to:
• Ensure a swift adoption of the EU Recovery plan and its deployment; businesses and workers cannot wait any longer;
• Place hospitality-tourism at the heart of national Recovery & Resilience Programmes (nRRP), involving social partners, with the aim to save as many jobs as possible, to support the sector economically, and to strive for a swift but coordinated and safe ease of travel;
• Extend all emergency measures such as short-time work schemes at least until September 2021 ensuring fair allowances for all workers including seasonal and temporary workers.
Read the full joint statement .