Overview
The analysis is based on the legislative file 2023/0435(COD), titled "Package travel and linked travel arrangements: make the protection of travellers more effective and simplify and clarify certain aspects." This is a Commission proposal undergoing the ordinary legislative procedure, with the current status being "Awaiting Parliament's position in 1st reading." The primary source document analysed is the European Parliament's consolidated summary of amendments (P10_TA(2025)0195), which details extensive modifications to the Commission's original text. The proposal's core objective is to strengthen and streamline EU consumer protection rules for combined travel services. The most significant and contested change proposed by the European Parliament is the complete abolition of the separate regulatory category for "Linked Travel Arrangements" (LTAs), aiming to bring all relevant travel combinations under the full protection regime of a unified "package" definition.
Legislative timeline
The procedural history shows the file was referred to the European Parliament's committee for a first reading on 18 January 2024. The committee adopted its report on 26 June 2025, following the tabling of amendments on 31 March 2025 and committee opinions in February 2025. The report was tabled for plenary consideration with several dates in July and September 2025, leading to a plenary debate on 10 September 2025 and a vote on 11 September 2025. The most recent calendar event is an indicative plenary sitting date scheduled for 9 March 2026.
Institutional handling
The lead committee in the European Parliament is the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO). The Committees on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) and Legal Affairs (JURI) have provided opinions. On the Commission side, the responsible service is the Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers (JUST), under Commissioner Michael McGrath. Within the Council of the EU, the file is handled by the Competitiveness Council configuration (COMPET).
Stakeholder reactions
A public consultation on the initiative received 68 feedbacks from 68 distinct organisations. The majority of responding organisations were business associations, including FNTV Fédération Nationale des Transports de Voyageurs, Danish Shipping, and Hospodářská komora ČR, which expressed strong support. The consultation indicated consensus support on specific topics, including VAT harmonisation (64 respondents), EU Single Market harmonisation (41 respondents), and overall simplification of regulation (33 respondents). Beyond the consultation, stakeholder engagement has been active, with 96 documented meetings. Of these, 82 were with Members of the European Parliament, 13 with Commissioners, and 1 with European Commission staff. The outreach involved 55 distinct organisations, with CarTrawler, Eurotran, the Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs (BEUC), TUI AG, and the Permanent Representation of Denmark being among the most active.
Media coverage
*No data on media coverage was provided for this analysis.*