Sustainable Tourism Law

124 SUSTAINABLE TOURISM LAW The section ends with some recommendations of the HLG to the European Community and the member states: to implement programmes to revitalize tourist destinations in decline and to support education and training in sustainable tourism, exchange of experiences, etc. On the other hand, the HLG recommends to tourism companies and tourism offices: to promote off-season holidays and services aimed at specific market segments, thus fostering not only seasonal vacations and helping spread key information about the attitude tourists should have regarding the environment. A few months later, the Commission, in accordance with the request of the Tourism Council of 1997, drew up the Communication “ Enhancing tourism’s potential for employment. Follow-up to the conclusions and recommendations of the High Level Group onTourism and Employment ”[1999 / C 178/03 (June 23 1999)]. II.7. Recognition of the European tourism potential. Agenda for a sustainable and competitive European tourism In the early 2000s, the Lisbon Strategy and various studies on the potential of the tourism sector to generate employment recognized both the importance of tourism and Europe as a tourist destination par excellence. In this context, the EU proposes a new tourism policy to better respond to the challenges faced by this sector and to take full advantage of its potential. In 2006, the European Commission submits the Communication “ A renewed EU Tourism Policy – Towards a stronger partnership for European Tourism ” [COM (2006) 134 final]. Coordination, dialogue and collaboration between the stakeholders of the sector will be thus fundamental, since there is a wide variety of stakeholders in the tourism sector. Public authorities shall cooperate with the private sector, the social partners and the stakeholders at European, national, regional and local level. A first package of measures is aimed at improving the legislation. The Commission wants to ensure that the impact evaluation of the new proposals related to tourism takes into account the competitiveness of the sector. Furthermore, it plans to review the pending legislative proposals and simplify existing European legislation. The Commission recommends the use of existing Community financial instruments: the ERDF and ESF Structural Funds for business development, tourism services and professional mobility. The Cohesion Fund will support environmental and transport infrastructure, the “Leonardo Da Vinci” programme will include a new program for apprentices with tourism as a pilot sector. The