Brussels 12 July 2023

CountEmissions EU proposal welcomed as a vital first step: but more commitment is needed says BT4Europe

BT4Europe, representing European buyers and users of business travel services, welcomes the Commission proposal, but is urging EU legislators in the European Parliament and European Council to go further to strengthen the proposal.

This initiative aims to create a common framework to calculate and report transport-related greenhouse gas emissions. According to the European Commission, transparent information will allow service providers to monitor and reduce their emissions and improve the efficiency of their transport services and will enable users to choose the most sustainable option.

The CountEmissions EU proposal is a welcome and vital first step, but more commitment is needed says Angela Lille, chair of BT4Europe’s Sustainability Working Group.

Angela Lille says: ‘The business travel industry, with millions of Europeans travelling on business every year, sustains thousands of jobs across Europe and can play a vital role in promoting a switch to more sustainable transport. Business travel buyers want to make greener choices, but reliable data on environmental footprint is missing today.  Currently a myriad of standards for CO2 exists, which makes reporting incoherent and questionable, so a proposal for a single voluntary standard to count GHG emissions from transport is a welcome and vital first step, but more commitment is needed.

We will push regulators to widen the scope to include accommodation. Technically, this is not transportation, but hotel, apartments, conferences and events are an integral part of business travel.

Secondly, given CO2 emissions data is more readily available, we argue why not start with a standard CO2 emissions calculation methodology for business travel services. Among others, it would improve the quality of the obligatory non-financial reports regulated by the CSRD.

Third, it is vital to develop a default value, because we want to drive travel decisions at point-of-sale. Correct reporting is not enough for driving a demand change.

Fourth, require all travel service suppliers to provide, free of charge, a standardised CO2 calculation baseline and the corresponding CO2 emissions in digital form for companies of all sizes.

Finally, we must export the final CountEmission EU standard into other regions of importance for European business travel, e.g. North America, because ultimately a global standard is needed.’

Open letter to EVP Timmermans
Multimodal Digital Mobility Services –  Friends of MDMS call for ambition, halfway measures are unacceptable!

Dear Executive Vice-President Timmermans,

As representatives of a significant part of Europe’s mobility ecosystem, including passengers, environmental groups, new-entrant operators and ticket intermediaries, we are writing to you regarding the upcoming Regulation on Multimodal Digital Mobility Services (MDMS).

Since the inception of this Regulation, we have advocated for the EU to ease the booking of (multimodal) transport tickets from all modes and operators. We now understand that the Commission is considering downgrading the ambition of its proposal by discarding this central aim of the initiative. We call on you to ensure that the Commission keeps a high level of ambition for this Regulation. The interests of European travellers and sustainability must remain at the heart of the initiative.
If the MDMS Regulation was to only focus on giving passengers access to ticketing data and then “re-linking” to transport operators websites, it will have failed in its fundamental objectives of making consumers lives easier, enabling modal shift to more sustainable modes and facilitating competition.

This approach would mean that the anticompetitive practices of dominant operators which prevent integrated booking via independent distribution channels, all aiming at limiting comparison and combination across modes, will not be addressed.

This is despite the pile of ongoing ticketing cases against large operators growing larger by the month and such an approach would do nothing to alleviate the strangle-hold that large operators currently have on the way we can search, book and combine our travel in Europe.

To support the EU’s Green Deal ambitions, the MDMS Regulation must enable convenient combination and booking of transport tickets.

Solely redirecting customers to several different portals of different operators is an insufficient solution with no added-value, alarmingly close to the status quo which is unanimously considered as unsatisfying. The landmark 2020 Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy rightfully acknowledged that “purchasing tickets for multimodal journeys is cumbersome”, which is why “the EU needs to transform its legal framework to support multimodal travel information, booking and ticketing services”.

European passengers want the ability to combine and book all types of offers (including train, plane and coach) in a hassle-free manner. With the goal of enticing passengers towards more sustainable travel in mind, the EU should unleash the potential of MDMS as modal-shift and competition enablers by obliging booking/ticketing through independent channels based on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory conditions.

Mr. Executive Vice-President, we count on your support.

BT4Europe, the European Network of Business Travel Associations, will launch a Position Paper on Boosting the Economic Impact of Business Travel. Business travel in Europe makes a hugely positive contribution to the European economy and although the COVID pandemic was a significant set back, the sector is recovering fast. BT4Europe believes the sector’s economic impact can be further boosted by streamlining the regulatory framework.

The Position Paper, developed by BT4Europe’s Economic Impact Working Group, urges EU regulators to streamline the regulatory framework to encourage sustainable and resilient growth of the sector and accommodate and facilitate future trends.

‘BT4Europe is confident that the challenges facing business travel can be addressed in order to enable the sustainable and resilient development of the sector, which in turn contributes to the economic development of Europe. In our Position Paper we make recommendations for action to streamline the regulatory framework, and we invite the entire travel sector to support these recommendations and the EU to take action to implement them.’ says Patrick W. Diemer, Chair of BT4Europe.’

‘Preparing for future health emergencies by learning the lessons from COVID, accommodating the major shifts in working patterns to facilitate more flexible, hybrid and cross-border working, ensuring one stop ticketing for all modes of transport and introducing digital end-to-end multi-modal passenger rights, will boost the economic impact of business travel.’ says Odete Pimenta da Silva, Chair of BT4Europe’s Economic Impact Working Group.

Odete Pimenta da Silva concluded, ‘Business travel in Europe makes a hugely positive contribution to the European economy, and we urge the EU to implement our recommendations to ensure the sector contributes its full potential to the European economy.’

Position Paper is available for download under "Kenniscentrum"

To view the recorded launch/webinar: click HERE

BT4Europe, the European Network of Business Travel Associations, today launched a Position Paper on Digital Transformation in Business Travel.

BT4Europe, represents European buyers and users of business travel services, is urging EU regulators to promote the full digital transformation of business travel. The business travel industry, with millions of Europeans travelling on business every year, sustains thousands of jobs across Europe and is vital to our economies and our societies. Full digital transformation will unlock efficiency and sustainability gains.

This Position Paper, developed by BT4Europe’s Digital Transformation Working Group, urges EU regulators to ensure the forthcoming EU initiatives on passenger rights and multimodal digital mobility services (MDMS) to promote the full digital transformation of business travel. BT4Europe is also urging the EU to make use of the digital transformation to exempt business travel from the bureaucratic A1 cross-border social security form.

‘BT4Europe is arguing for nothing short of the full digital transformation of business travel to facilitate seamless paper free cross-border business travel. In our Position Paper we set out the key challenges to achieving the sector’s digital transformation, assess how they should be addressed and make recommendations for action. We invite the entire travel sector to support these recommendations and the EU to take action to implement them.’ says Patrick W. Diemer, Chair of BT4Europe.

‘The EU’s forthcoming initiatives on multimodal digital mobility services and passenger rights represent a timely opportunity to make sustainable, connected and automated multimodal mobility a reality. For instance by making it possible for passengers to buy a single ticket for multimodal and cross-border journeys. Smarter mobility will strengthen passenger rights and promote sustainable travel options and doing away with paperwork such as the bureaucratic A1 Social Security Form, will boost our economy’, says Dominic Short, Chair of the BT4Europe’s Digital Transformation Working Group.

Dominic Short concluded, ‘All stakeholders – business, citizens and the European Union must work together to seize the benefits of full digital transformation in the up coming EU proposals, to unlock efficiency and sustainability gains, to benefit business travellers, economy, and the environment.‘

Chair of BT4Europe, the European Network of Business Travel Associations, Patrick Diemer, is in Brussels this week for a series of meetings with EU officials. BT4Europe want to step up their call for swift action to green business travel and in particular press home the demands made in their recent Sustainability Position Paper and their submission to the European Commission’s ‘CountEmissionsEU’ consultation.

The business travel industry in the EU, worth € 54 billion a year, facilitates the business travel of millions of Europeans every year, sustains thousands of jobs across Europe and is vital to our economies and our societies. The industry is determined to reduce its ecologicalfootprint in line with the European Green Deal and become sustainable.

BT4Europe, on behalf of their 13 members who represent leading travel industry stakeholder across Europe, argue major regulatory reforms are required at an EU level to help the industry deliver decarbonisation.

First, in the context of the ‘CountEmissionsEU’ consultation, Patrick Diemer will meet European Commission officials to highlight the fact that buyers of business travel in Europe need to be fully informed about the amount of CO2 emissions caused by all means of business travel, which is currently not the case.

Patrick will call for ‘urgent and significant steps to be taken to improve access to standardized, accurate and comparable data on the CO2 impact of business travel. A consistent measure of carbon emissions from business travel is urgently needed, which at the moment is simply not available.’

He continued: ‘To green business travel we must all work together to ensure the CO2 footprint of business travel options become as important as price, customers have a right to CO2 information and ‘CountEmissionsEU’ is an opportunity to set a unified standard for CO2 emission calculations. We must start immediately to green business travel. Hence, we should start with CO2 information as soon as possible.’

Second, he will also meet other EU officials to discuss the forthcoming EU Multimodal Digital Mobility Strategy.

Patrick said: ‘The EU’s Multimodal digital mobility services initiative represents a major opportunity to integrate ticketing options, including rail, and improve the visibility of CO2 footprint at the point of sale, allowing users to make an informed choice on the most sustainable travel option. In particular, for cross-border travel this information is not readily available today.

He concluded: ‘We look forward to working with the EU to ensure this important initiative helps to better integrate public transport and rail services to achieve seamless multimodal passenger transport, crucial to delivering the EU’s Green Deal.’
Patrick will also be meeting senior industry and Member State officials and is available for interview.

BT4Europe, the European Network of Business Travel Associations), today launched a Position Paper on Sustainability in Business Travel, demanding that business travel be conducted sustainably and arguing that information and self-awareness of the carbon impact of business travel are the drivers of change.

The business travel industry, with millions of Europeans traveling on business every year, sustains thousands of jobs across Europe and is vital to our economies and our societies. It is convinced it must reduce its carbon footprint in line with the European Green Deal.

The position paper highlights the fact that to properly tackle the challenge of greening business travel buyers of business travel in Europe first need to be fully informed about the amount of CO2 emissions caused by business travel, which is currently not possible.
The paper calls for urgent and significant steps to be taken to improve access to standardized, accurate and comparable data on the CO2 impact of business travel.

‘We have identified a set of common data challenges, which if not addressed and legislated upon where necessary, will prejudice the green transformation of the sector. To green our industry we must plug the data gaps and end the data inconsistencies. For example it is difficult to evaluate the real CO2 footprint for different travel options.’ Says Patrick W. Diemer, Chair of BT4Europe.

‘To green business travel – all stakeholder – business, citizens and the European Union must work together to ensure the CO2 footprint of business travel options become as important as price, customers have a right to CO2 information and we agree a unified standard for CO2 emission calculations. Therefore, the opportunities to act, created by the European Commission’s “CountEmissions EU” initiative and the on-going revisions of the Corporate Social Responsibility Directive and the Non-Financial Reporting Directive must be seized.’ says Angela Lille, Chair of the BT4Europe Working Group on Sustainability.

DOWNLOAD the Position Paper

DOWNLOAD the Position Paper - Presentation

It is a pleasure to inform you of the launch of BT4Europe’s first Position Paper on Sustainability in Business Travel. A recording of the livestream and the whitepaper will be available at our website as of September 7.

You are cordially invited to the launch of BT4Europe’s Position Paper on Sustainability in Business Travel. European businesses demand that their business travel be conducted sustainably.

The position paper highlights the fact that to properly tackle the challenge of greening business travel, in line with the European Green Deal, we first need to fully measure and assess the amount of CO2 emissions caused by business travel, which is currently not possible. The paper calls for urgent and significant steps to be taken to improve access to streamlined, accurate and comparable data on the CO2 impact of business travel.

Join us to learn more, participate in our interactive Q & A session and secure a copy of the Position Paper.
Please share this link with your colleagues.

When:   Tuesday 06 September 2022
Time:     from 11h00  to 11h30 CET - Brussels time
Where:  live streaming via this link

LEIDEN/BRUSSEL, 24 February 2022 - Thirteen business travel associations from different European countries have formed the European Network of Business Travel Associations [BT4Europe]. The new non-profit association will have its headquarters in Brussels. Its 13 founding members have joined forces to give travel managers and buyers a stronger voice in Europe.

LEIDEN/BRUSSEL, 24 februari 2022 - Dertien zakenreisverenigingen uit verschillende Europese landen hebben de European Network of Business Travel Associations [BT4Europe] opgericht. De nieuwe overkoepelende vereniging zal zijn hoofdzetel in Brussel houden. De 13 oprichtende leden hebben hun krachten gebundeld om zakenreismanagers en -inkopers een sterkere stem in Europa te geven.

Click here for the formal press release.

Zakenreizen in Europa en wereldwijd, alsmede beurzen en congressen, vormen de basis voor de huidige en toekomstige groei van de economie.

Het zakelijk reizend bedrijfsleven aangeslotenen bij diverse Europese verenigingen, in Nederland vertegenwoordigd door CORTAS en NATM, sturen hun ingenieurs de wereld over om fabrieken te bouwen, geven salesteams de opdracht wereldwijd nieuwe opdrachten binnen te halen en sturen wetenschappers naar instituten en conferenties om uitwisseling van wetenschappelijke kennis en ontwikkelingen gecentraliseerd te faciliteren. Dit zijn slechts enkele voorbeelden van het doel van een zakelijke reis.

Om internationale zakenreizen tijdens en na de coronapandemie weer mogelijk te maken, verzoeken wij de overheid nadrukkelijk zich te buigen over:

1. Implementatie van een digitaal coronacertificaat
   Met de “Digital Green Certificate” van de Europese Unie als een (toekomstige) standaard, nationale gezondheidscertificaten in de verschillende landen, naast de CommonPass en de IATA Travel Pass, zijn er meer dan voldoende initiatieven voor een digitaal coronacertificaat. Interoperabiliteit tussen de verschillende gezondheidscertificaten in Europa en wereldwijd is essentieel. Wij pleiten voor de implementatie van dergelijke digitale certificaten op een zo kort mogelijke termijn, zodat zakenreizigers zich weer zonder restricties kunnen verplaatsen binnen Europa, of mogelijk zelfs weer wereldwijd.     

2. Geen quarantaine voor gezonde reizigers bij het passeren van landsgrenzen
   Zakenreizigers zouden nu de landsgrenzen moeten kunnen passeren zonder een quarantaineverplichting als zij gevaccineerd zijn, ofwel hersteld zijn van Covid-19, danwel een recente negatieve (PCR-)test kunnen overleggen. 

3. Europa op samenhangende wijze heropenen
   Het opnieuw opstarten van zakenreizen in Europa is niet alleen een aangelegenheid van de Europese Unie of de EFTA. Alle Europese landen, inclusief Noorwegen, Zwitserland en het Verenigd Koninkrijk, moeten ervoor zorgen dat ze op één lijn zitten om hun grenzen weer te heropenen voor het essentiële zakelijke reisverkeer.

Meer informatie over hoe wij de herstart van zakenreizen in Europa ondersteunen? Gelieve contact op te nemen met de nationale brancheverenigingen.

Deze oproep is een gezamenlijk initiatief van de toonaangevende zakenreisverenigingen in Europa.

Deelnemende verenigingen zijn  ABTA Oostenrijk, aegve Spanje, AFTM Frankrijk, AITMM Italië, ASTM Zwitserland, BATM België, CORTAS Nederland, DBTA Denemarken, FBTA Finland, NATM Nederland, NBTA Noorwegen, SBTA Zweden, VDR Duitsland.

De leden van de zakenreisverenigingen de Nederlandse Associatie voor Travel Management (NATM) en Corporate Travel Association (CORTAS) vertegenwoordigen bedrijven en organisaties met een gezamenlijke reisomzet van meer dan twee miljard euro per jaar. Voor deze bedrijven is zakelijk reizen een essentieel onderdeel van hun bedrijfsvoering, of zelfs business critical. Daarbij staat Duty of Care, de wettelijke zorgplicht voor (reizende) werknemers alsmede duurzaam zakelijk reizen hoog in het vaandel. Deze verenigingen zijn respectievelijk in 1972 en 1997 opgericht.

Klik hier voor de Engelse versie.

Such a roadmap should be developed by the EU in close cooperation with industry and social partners, primarily via a newly created Commission Task Force for the Restoration of the Free Movement of People.

Yesterday, 1 March, the European Council of Tourism Ministers met on the initiative of Portugal - the President of the European Union these six months - to discuss how the restart of (business) travel and the restoration of tourism could take shape again. The Portuguese Presidency wanted to send a clear message to the European Commission that the need to enable safe travel in the short term is of the utmost importance: for the economy in general, for tourism, and especially for travellers themselves.

In cooperation with our European GBTA sister organisations, we are lobbying towards the various European bodies to encourage them to act. It is time for the authorities to realise that safe travel must be possible and how it can be done. Only in this way can the companies get started with adjusting the travel policy and internally start the discussion about how travel becomes part of the business operations again.

Below you can find all relevant documents used in this process and communication towards the different European bodies encouraging them to act.

Regarding this topic NATM is following a two-way strategy by participating in the European Tourism Manifesto alliance and at the same time connecting to the Dutch government. NATM and Cortas are expecting the invite for a meeting with the Dutch government shortly.

*The European Tourism Manifesto alliance represents more than 60 public and private organisations, covering the whole spectrum of (business) travel and tourism products and services. NATM and its GBTA Europe partners contributed into the Manifesto under the GBTA umbrella.

Press release_Travel and Tourism Restart Plan_final

Travel & Tourism Manifesto

Travel and Tourism Exit Strategy_final