Tourism Law in Europe

6 competitiveness of Lithuanian tourism sector and one of the main goals is to develop tourism infrastructure and improve the quality of services. In the Strategy of Lithuanian Tourism Marketing for 2016-2020 “suggestions related to Lithuania as tourist destination, increasing awareness, development of competitive tourism products, implementation of effective marketing and installation of effective communication channels are provided”. It is important to note that the crisis caused by COVID-19 in the beginning of 2020 hit the tourism sector the hardest, so it is important to single out the legislation adopted by the European Union regarding state aid to the tourism sector: Communication from the European Commission Temporary Framework for State aid measures to support the economy in the current COVID-19 outbreak (2020/C 91 I/01) and Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/972 amending Regulation (EU) No 1407/2013 as regards its prolongation and amending Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 as regards its prolongation and relevant adjustments and the European Commission Communication on Tourism and Transport adopted in Brussels on 13 May 2020. Managing the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis for the tourism sector should also include national legislation on state aid to the tourism sector. 2. Accommodation Services and their Regulation The provision of accommodation services in Lithuania is regulated by the following basic legal acts: Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania (2000); Law on Tourism of the Republic of Lithuania (2018); Law on Consumer Protection of the Republic of Lithuania (2007); Order No. 4 -86 of the Minister of Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania of 14 February 2019 “On the Approval of the List of Types of Accommodation Services”; Order No. 4-140 of the Minister of Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania of 1 March 2019 approved “Description of the Procedure for Issuance and Revocation of a Certificate for the Classification of Accommodation Services”; Order No. 4-462 of the Minister of Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania of 8 August 2019 “On the Approval of the Requirements for Classification of Relevant Types of Accommodation Services”.