Background

The Package Travel Directive (hereafter referred to as the PTD), which came into effect in 1990, is aimed at protecting consumers in the area of package travel. Some of the most important rules concern the liability of package organisers and retailers, who must accept responsibility for the performance of the services offered. The Directive also prescribes the minimum information that must be given to consumers and contains provisions on the security to be provided in the event of insolvency.

The travel sector has evolved considerably, especially with the development of the internet and the rise of low-cost air carriers. Consumers are also now putting together their own holiday components from different providers, instead of opting for pre-arranged packages. The Commission is considering reviewing the PTD in order to reflect the current market situation.

This issue has already been the subject of number of studies and consultations available on DG SANCO’s website

Objective of the consultation: The aim of the consultation is to gather stakeholders' opinions on the existing problems and preferred solutions in order to identify preferred policy options.

Target group(s): All citizens, organisations and public authorities are welcome to contribute to this consultation.

Below, you will find a list of questions, which should help us to prepare an initiative in the area of package travel. We recognise that some questions will be difficult to answer precisely; please give your best estimate where possible.

Beyond the scope of these questions, please feel free to provide additional information at the email address: sanco-b2@ec.europa.eu

Period of consultation: From 26.11.2009 to 07.02.2010

How to submit your contribution?

The consultation consists of five online questionnaires targeted to different groups of stakeholders:

• If you are answering this consultation as a citizen, please click here to go to the online questionnaire. Preview the Questionnaire |
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• If you are answering this consultation on behalf of a consumer organisation, please click here to go to the online questionnaire. Preview the Questionnaire |
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• If you are answering this consultation on behalf of a industry associations, please click here to go to the online questionnaire. Preview the Questionnaire |
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• If you are answering this consultation on behalf of an companies, please click here to go to the online questionnaire. Preview the Questionnaire |
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• If you are answering this consultation on behalf of a public authority, please click here to go to the online questionnaire. Preview the Questionnaire |

Important notice

Please also note that the maximum time to complete each of the sections is 90 minutes. Partial responses will not be saved. This means once you start filling in the questionnaire, you have to answer all compulsory questions to submit your response. You can, however, preview the whole questionnaire in a document format (pdf) or (doc).

The Commission will publish all replies and a summary paper on the consumer affairs public consultation website. Please see the attached privacy statement and the policy for the protection of personal data.

Contact details

Responsible service: DG Health and Consumer Affairs, Unit B2 – Consumer Contracts and Marketing Law
E-mail: SANCO-b2@ec.europa.eu
Telephone: 0032 229 86 119