BT4Europe is becoming “frustrated” with the slow progress of several key EU initiatives which could improve business travel around the 27 members states.
The group, which represents 13 business travel associations across Europe, “strongly supports” proposed changes on transport, sustainability and digitalisation in the EU. But it is worried they could all be further delayed until after next year’s elections for the European Parliament.
These crucial initiatives include CountEmissionsEU, which would create a single and unified standard to account for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by transport providers, and the Multimodal Digital Mobility Services (MDMS), designed to make it easier to book multi-modal journeys online.
Both proposals have already suffered delays moving through the EU adoption process and BT4Europe fears they could be further postponed until the next parliament is formed following June’s elections.
BT4Europe also wants to see progress in exempting business travellers from having to use the A1 form, which provides proof of payment of social security in another member state.
Due to these fears, BT4Europe has written to several leading EU officials, including European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen, to call for these initiatives to be made “a greater priority” in the coming months.
BT4Europe chair Patrick Diemer said: “BT4Europe is committed to support the European institutions in their endeavours to advance on CountEmissionsEU, MDMS and the A1 form exception.
“Unfortunately, it is disheartening to note that all the aforementioned initiatives seem to be facing delays extending into late 2024 and potentially even 2025.”
Diemer added that these delays were “concerning” for travel buyers, as well as those “advocating for the sustainable and digital transformation of business travel”.
“Today, I have written a letter to the EU institutions urging them to elevate the importance of these dossiers and prioritise business travel, in order to boost the sustainable and digital transformation of business travel and to increase Europe's prosperity,” concluded Diemer.