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.’

BTN Europe speaks to Odete Pimenta da Silva, managing director of the Netherlands Association for Travel Management (NATM)

More rail capacity and a smoother airport experience are on Odete Pimenta da Silva’s wishlist for business travellers in 2023, while topping the agenda at NATM is a new long-term strategy for the business travel association.

And while business travel in the Netherlands continues to recover – in spite of the challenges Pimenta da Silva goes on to dissect – she prefers not to predict travel volumes for the year ahead.

“What business travel will look like in 2023 depends on who you talk to,” says Pimenta da Silva. “It’s too hard to say right now. There is some pent-up demand and people are catching up. You can’t really compare to the last three years. Businesses are obsessed with 2019 but we need to move on. If you’re an entrepreneur, a start-up or a fast-growing business, you don’t know what to expect each year or you’re starting from zero anyway.”

She notes that talk of a recession “is not the first thing you see when you open a newspaper” in the Netherlands but that rising costs remain a concern for companies, travel buyers and the general public alike. “Costs have been going up but the likes of increasing energy rates are out of our hands and I think companies accept that,” she says.

Challenges impacting travel management across many European nations last year were witnessed in the Netherlands too – principally rising rates, poor service levels and capacity shortages.

Read the whole interview here

REset your brain by 1 day of Education, Inspiration and Views @RE2019

'RE: the Toddler’ at the 'RE' @B-Buildings Amsterdam.

'RE' is one event of its kind.
'RE' is different from any other industry event.
‘RE’ is where innovation meets real business need.
‘RE’ is where conflict is good.
‘RE’ is where we celebrate the benefits of frictions because this is what drives our industry forward.
‘RE’ is where you will be immersed in a creative (and unexpected) environment.
‘RE’ is where you will look closely at the components of the business travel ecosystem and consider the changes that have happened and those yet to come.

'RE'-dress: Strictly casual/feel at home. We are gathering to create so feeling comfortable is a must. Think start-up and industrial.
'RE'-peat?: It’s all in English language, there’s no translation and no need to speak Dutch.

Follow #REinventBT2019 on social media and contribute to the wind of change!

With the National Travel Management Barometer 2018, the Dutch Association for Travel Management (NATM) examines, in collaboration with ATPI, companies and institutions when it comes to organizing their business trips effectively.

Which aspects take a lot of your attention, what are the opportunities for improvement and what are the expectations for the near future?

The National Travel Management Barometer 2018

• What is the current status of travel management at Dutch organizations?
• How mature is the travel policy in your organization?
• Where are the opportunities for improvement in 2019?

Click here to participate in the benchmark and discover your position in relation to other Dutch companies and organizations.

We wish you an inspiring comparison!
NATM management & board

About this research

The National Travel Management Barometer 2018 gives you an unique insight into how Dutch organizations deal with the important issues in the field of business travel. Which approach makes a concrete contribution to optimizing your travel policy and where are opportunities for improvement?

Participation in the benchmark is entirely without any obligation. You will see your own results immediately after completing the survey compared to other participating peers (anonymous).

The research is an ATPI initiative and is carried out in collaboration with NATM. Questions or comments about the research can be directed to odete.pimentadasilva@natm.nl