Live from Brussels – Issue 111

Sep 21, 2022

Dear readers,

Welcome to another issue of our ‘Live from Brussels’ newsletter.

After an overall positive summer season, with demand going up, and occupancy rates gradually approaching pre-pandemic figures, the European tourism and hospitality sector is still bound to face significant challenges in the upcoming months.

Our industry’s future remains uncertain. While people are at the heart of hospitality, after COVID-19, companies in the sector are facing severe labour and skills shortages. We recently published two position papers proposing solutions to tackle this crucial issue.

The war in Ukraine is causing inflation and energy costs to skyrocket. You are most likely experiencing this crisis on your own skin: due to the increase in your gas and electricity bills, in the price of the food you eat, and the services you benefit from. It is the same for hospitality businesses, as they, too, are experiencing steep price increases while having to deal the post-COVID-19 recovery.

The SMEs and micro-enterprises that make up our industry are especially vulnerable to this situation and we fear that many of them will not be able to keep their doors open for long, should such circumstances continue. We were indeed glad to see that, in this year’s State of the European Union address, President Von der Leyen stressed the need to remove the obstacles that still hold SMEs back.

In this issue, we had an interesting discussion on global energy market disruptions – along with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), and the Commission’s REPowerEU Plan – with Mr Stefan Moser, Head of Unit at the European Commission (DG ENERGY), whom I want to thank for a clear overview and his contribution to this issue.

In other news, HOTREC is looking at a very busy season ahead, especially regarding regulatory developments of Short-Term Rentals (STRs) in Europe. After publishing our report on STRs in July, we are now expecting the European Commission to present its Short-Term Rental Initiative by the end of the year.

The team is also looking forward to meeting our members in Stockholm for our 85^th General Assembly at the beginning of October. We hope the two days of activities will be a relevant and fun opportunity to exchange best practices and views on pressing issues for European hospitality.

Enjoy your reading!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Interview

Discussing energy and sustainability with Mr Stefan Moser, Head of Unit at the European Commission

Live from the network

Close the Glass Loop

Short-term rentals (STR)

HOTREC unveils new report on Short-Term Rentals

Social Affairs

Sustainability

40% of the world’s food is lost or wasted every year

Tourism

Interview

Discussing energy and sustainability with Mr Stefan Moser, Head of Unit at the European Commission

In this issue of our newsletter, we had the pleasure of discussing the global energy market disruption caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the EU Renovation Wave initiative with Mr Stefan Moser, Head of Unit in DG ENERGY (European Commission).

Live from the network

Close the Glass Loop

Since joining Close the Glass Loop in 2021, HOTREC has supported the platform’s ambitious objectives to reach 90% of glass collected for recycling by 2030.

Short-term rentals (STR)

HOTREC unveils new report on Short-Term Rentals

HOTREC is expecting the European Commission to present its Short-Term Rental Initiative by the end of 2022. In anticipation of the initiative, HOTREC published a new report on Short-Term Rentals (STRs).

Social Affairs

Legal Migration: one step to tackle labour shortages

HOTREC welcomes the European Commission package on legal migration presented on 27 April 2022 and we believe it can be part of the solution to overcome the labour shortages facing the hospitality sector.

Overcoming labour shortages: HOTREC's proposals

The hospitality sector significantly contributes to the EU economy, while it creates jobs and growth (11 million for the EU27). It is an inclusive sector that promotes gender balance and provides many first working experiences to the youth.

Sustainability

40% of the world’s food is lost or wasted every year

And one in nine people in the world can’t get enough to eat. This is as daunting as it sounds. But in the lead up to the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste on 29th September, let’s highlight our industry’s actions to minimise food waste.

Tourism

Preparing for winter: European Commission's proposal to avoid new surge of Covid-19 cases

On 2 September 2022, the European Commission published a Communication on the "EU's response to COVID-19: preparing for autumn and winter 2023". The objective is to propose, measures to avoid a surge of COVID-19 cases in the upcoming autumn and winter season.

Soaring energy and food prices bring instability to European hospitality

Gas and electricity prices have reached record levels in 2022 and are expected to remain high. The current situation is producing a climate of unpredictability and fear of recession in the hospitality sector, which is still in the phase of recovery.

Despite a good summer season, hospitality businesses still uncertain about their future

At the end of the summer, we asked HOTREC members to share their views and information on what happened to the hospitality industry in their country over the season.