Supporting Europe’s business and industry future

EU policy helps make EU industry and business more competitive and promotes job creation and economic growth by creating a business-friendly environment.

With globalisation and stronger competition from emerging countries, Europe’s long-term economic prosperity will depend on the strength of its industrial base, not on services and banks alone. Research and innovation plays a key role in developing the technologies and approaches to ensure Europe’s manufacturing future.

A suite of EU programmes help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to access finance and markets, and support entrepreneurship, business creation, internationalisation and growth.

The EU is working to remove the remaining barriers to trade and to avoid creating new ones by promoting a business and consumer-friendly EU market, based on simple, transparent and consistent rules and standards.

Tourism

Tourism is a major economic activity in the European Union with wide-ranging impact on economic growth, employment, and social development. It can be a powerful tool in fighting economic decline and unemployment. Nevertheless the tourism sector faces a series of challenges. The European Commission works to address these with policies and actions.

Overview of EU tourism policy

EU policy aims to maintain Europe’s standing as a leading tourist destination while maximising the industry’s contribution to growth and employment. It also promotes cooperation between EU countries, particularly through the exchange of good practice. The EU’s competence in the tourism sector is one of support and coordination the actions of member countries.

Challenges for the European tourism industry

The main challenges are:

* security and safety – environmental, political, and social security; safety of food and accommodation; and socio-cultural sustainability threats

* economic competitiveness – seasonality, regulatory and administrative burdens; tourism related taxation; difficulty of finding and keeping skilled staff

* technological – keeping up to date with IT developments caused by the globalisation of information and advances in technology (IT tools for booking holidays, social media providing advice on tourism services, etc.)

* markets and competition – growing demand for customised experiences, new products, growing competition from other EU destinations.

Sources

https://europa.eu/european-union/topics/enterprise_en (23.12.2019)

https://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/tourism_en (23.12.2019)

https://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/tourism/policy-overview_en (23.12.2019)