The COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have shown the urgent need to establish an EU Tourism Agency and a European Crisis Management Mechanism to respond adequately and quickly to large-scale crises such as pandemics, hostilities, humanitarian crises and the effects of climate change, Members of the European Parliament. They also called on the EU to impose even tougher sanctions on Russia, and decided to support European transport and tour operators in helping refugees from Ukraine.
According to a press release issued by the European Parliament, the war in Ukraine has been felt in the EU’s transport and tourism sectors as fuel prices have risen sharply and EU transport operators say support should be provided to EU transport operators.
Sanctions against the transport sector of the Russian Federation
European officials are concerned about how geopolitical developments have affected the aviation sector, as Rosaviatsia requires Russian airlines to re-register leased aircraft in the national register. In addition, the EU authorities called for further tightening of sanctions against the Russian maritime sector and to ban the entry of ships moored in Russia on their way to EU ports. In addition, all vessels wishing to stay in EU ports should be banned from refueling in Russian ports, the European resolution said.
Increase funding for military mobilization within the EU
According to the deputies, the decision of the European Council to refuse to finance military mobility was a mistake that undermines European security. Against this background, they criticized the decision and called on the Commission to find a solution to significantly increase the budget for military mobility under the Connected Europe Facility.
“The EU should help member states develop dual-use infrastructure and transport connections within the EU, as well as with the Western Balkans, Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine,” MEPs added, also calling for the expansion of the trans-European transport network to Ukraine and Moldova. in a press release.
Thus, the EU Parliament quickly approved the submission of a formal application for Moldova’s accession to the EU, although it does not make a similar decision regarding Ukraine. According to a press release issued by parliament, Moldova has acquired the status of a candidate to join the EU bloc.
Assistance to tourism that is focused on Ukraine
At the meeting, European Parliament officials called on the bloc from 27 countries to support hotels and other tourist accommodation facilities for Ukrainian refugees. They also called on the Commission to set up an interim EU funding program to help travel companies hire people from Ukraine.