Collective Commentary about the New Package Travel Directive

LITHUANIA | JOLANTA VILKEVIČIŪTĖ 973 determined that the tour organiser has the right to require to pay the costs of the transfer of the right to the travel. The fact that provisions related to consumer protection, distance contracts, force majeure and etc. are determined in the Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania also has to be considered. The Republic of Lithuania has been a member state of the European Union since 1 st of May, 2004; thus, the provision of tourism services is determined by the legislation adopted by the institutions of the European Union. Legislative amendments related to provision of tourism services were adopted in the Republic of Lithuania after taking into consideration the Directive 2015/2302 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2015 on package travel and linked travel arrangements. In order to implement the provisions of this directive, 30.06.2018 the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania adopted the recast of the Law on Tourism of the Republic of Lithuania; also, other amendments were adopted, in order to transfer the provisions of this directive to national legislation. The recast of the Law on Tourism of the Republic of Lithuania determines a higher level of protection regarding interests of tourists as well as greater responsibilities of tour organisers. The Law on Tourism of the Republic of Lithuania (2018) determines the principles of organization of tourism services, the provision of tourism services and protects rights of tourists as well as competence of state and municipal institutions in the area of tourism. Part 18 of Article 2 of the Law on Tourism of the Republic of Lithuania determines that organized travel means a combination of at least two different tourism services – transportation, accommodation, which is an integral part of transportation and it is not for the purpose of the permanent residence, rent of car, motorcycle or other motor vehicle and other services inseparable from tourism services identified in this part. This type of combination is made according to the provisions determined in the Part 1 of Article 4 of the Law on Tourism of the Republic of Lithuania. Under this Law (Article 4) combination of tourism services is considered to be organized travel if it meets the determined provisions, which are the following: 1) one tour organiser combines tourism services before awarding the contract under the request of the tourist or after taking into consideration his choice;