Live from Brussels – Issue n°104
A message from Mr. Jens Zimmer Christensen, President of HOTREC, and Ms. Marie Audren, Director General of HOTREC
Dear readers,
We publish this issue at a crucial time for the industry. This year’s summer season has officially started, and European hospitality’s hopes of recovery strongly rely on the outcome of the upcoming months.
There is no denying it: now more than ever, establishments need to remain open to remain viable. The rapid rollout of vaccination programmes across Europe and the launch of the EU Digital Certificate are grounds for optimism. As always, we believe that enhanced coordination on all fronts at the EU level will translate into a stronger response to the health crisis.
The last few weeks showed us that a ‘new normal’ is within reach: establishments are gradually and safely reopening; Europe continues to open its doors to more third countries, and we at HOTREC had the pleasure to attend our first in-person conferences since over one year. ‘Ecofin’ adopted yesterday 12 national Recovery plans and we hope that more proposals will follow and prioritise hospitality.
Current trends however remain worrying, and the surge of new variants across Europe must not be underestimated. The truth is, we are not out of the woods yet, and respecting the existing national health and safety protocols will be crucial to define the next steps towards recovery. But this is not all.
On 1 July, we welcomed the Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council, and we were delighted to hear that their number one priority will be laying the foundation for a stronger and more resilient Europe. In this issue, we had the pleasure to interview Deputy Ambassador Tamara Weingerl-Požar, whom we warmly thank for her insight. HOTREC believes that joining forces with the Presidency will be key to achieving our shared goal of a swift and sustainable recovery.
In other news, Europe’s efforts towards a digital, fairer, and greener Union are steadily progressing. Parliamentary talks around the Digital Services and Markets Acts are ongoing, with rapporteurs sharing their proposals with committee members. The transition to a more sustainable Europe also seems on its way: we recently replied to a consultation on the Renovation Wave for Europe and published our position on the initiative.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our members and our readers for their ever-growing support.
We wish you all a safe, and well-deserved summer!