Collective Commentary about the New Package Travel Directive

1100 COLLECTIVE COMMENTARY ABOUT THE NEW PACKAGE TRAVEL DIRECTIVE the Directive is transposed through this Decree-Law, namely concerning the liability of small retailers in the event of a collapse of operators, the failure to increase contributions to the guarantee fund in proportion to the level of billing, the introduction of the impossibility of hotels, rent-a- -car companies, aviation companies and other agents being able to combine travel services, among other aspects. As was evident in the recent case of the Monarch collapse, the existence of a solid guarantee fund is essential to ensure the repatriation of travellers and other costs. In this context, Portugal should not be a negative exception, attracting operators based on low prices, which will only lead to fewer guarantees for consumers and the attraction of “toxic operators”. The path towards a sustainable development of the tourism sector goes through trust and guarantees to consumers, from a perspective focused on guaranteeing quality, which is incompatible with a model based on low wages and the elimination of SMEs in the sector. Without prejudice to the discussion on the directive in question, this consideration is mainly aimed at broadening the public discussion on the transposition of the decree-law, which introduces significant differences in relation to other countries that have also already transposed the directive, and the impacts that these options may have in the future of the sector. This discussion cannot fail to involve the different agents in the sector. Accordingly, the Members of the PCP Parliamentary Group, under paragraph c) of article 162 and article 169 of the Constitution, as well as articles 189 and following of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly of the Republic, require Parliamentary Appraisal of Decree-Law no. 17/2018, of 8 March, which “Establishes the regime for access and exercise of the activity of travel and tourism agencies, transposing Directive (EU) 2015/2302”, published in the Diário da República No. 48/2018, Series I, of 8 March 8 2018. Assembly of the Republic, 6 April 2017 Members, joão dias; joão oliveira; bruno dias; antónio fiilipe; rita rato; francisco lopes; miguel tiago; jorge machado; paulo sá; diana ferreira; carla cruz; paula santos; ana mesquita”