Priority question for written answer P-006423/2020 to the Commission Rule 138 (ID), (ID), (ID), (ID), (ID), (ID), (ID), (ID), (ID), (ID), (ID), Anna Bonfrisco (ID), (PPE), (ID)

Subject: Closure of ski resorts

The press is reporting that the European Union is considering asking Member States to keep ski resorts closed, effectively cancelling the winter tourism season.

The winter season is of prime socio-economic importance for an already fragile mountain economy operating under continual stress. A shock of this kind could send thousands of businesses to the wall and result in tens of thousands of job losses, with devastating social consequences that could prove irreversible.

In alone, winter tourism generates EUR 10 billion and employs more than 150,000 people, many of them seasonal workers. A number of guidelines and action plans have been published at regional level to pave the way for the safe reopening of ski facilities, with strict protocols in place to ensure the safety of both tourists and workers.

In view of this:

1. What kind of practical measures is the Commission envisaging?

2. What resources, and in what amounts, will the Commission make available to help mitigate the serious economic damage caused by this decision?

Supporters1

1 This question is supported by Members other than the authors: (ID), (ID), Vincenzo Sofo (ID), (ID), (ID), (ID), (ID), (ID)

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