Greek Tourism Minister Calls for EU Mechanism to Address the Crisis

Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Minister Delegate for Tourism; Vassilis Kikilias, Tourism Minister of Greece; and François Rebsamen, French politician. Photo source: French Presidency of the Council of the EU / Photo © Jonathan Sarago / MEAE

Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias on Friday participated in the Conference of Tourism Ministers of the European Union held in Dijon, France.

Organized by France as holder of the presidency of the Council of the EU, the conference had an agenda that included discussions on achieving recovery in European tourism following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the further repercussions the sector could suffer due to the war in Ukraine.

Speaking during the conference, Kikilias said the the EU can address the humanitarian crisis faster and more effectively following the experience gained during the pandemic.

Kikilias: European mechanism is needed

Kikilias underlined the need for the creation of a European mechanism to address the crisis and its repercussions on tourism and to the possibility of supporting the sector due to the increase in energy costs.

According to an announcement of the Tourism Ministry, Kikilias’ proposal was applauded by his Spanish and Italian counterparts, who urged the EU to move towards that direction.

Moreover, Kikilias referred to the possibility of jobs for Ukrainian refugees in the tourism sector, for those who remain in EU member states for a long time.

Commissioner welcomes Kikilias’ proposal

European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton. Photo source: French Presidency of the Council of the EU / Photo © Jonathan Sarago / MEAE

On his part, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, welcomed the Greek tourism minister’s proposal to establish a common European support mechanism for dealing with the crisis and informed that the Commission would move in that direction.