Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-09-07-Speech-3-181"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2005-09-07"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Basic guidelines for sustainable European tourism2
dcterms:Language	"mt"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20050907.19.3-181"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2005-09-07-Speech-3-1822
lpv:speaker	lp:Simon Busuttil2
lpv:spokenAs	member_of_the_bureau; EPP-ED (2004-08-31--2009-07-13)3,3 vice-chair; Delegation for relations with the Maghreb countries and the Arab Maghreb Union (including Libya) (2004-09-20--2007-03-13)3,3 substitute; REGI (2004-07-22--2007-01-14)3,3 member; Delegation to the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (2004-09-15--2009-07-13)3,3 member; CONT (2005-02-21--2007-01-14)3,3 member; BUDG (2004-07-21--2007-01-14)3,3 unknown; Partit Nazzjonalista (2004-07-20--2009-07-13)3,3
lpv:translated text	"Thank you Mr President, I would like to speak about the cruise liners sector, for which reference was made in the opinion of Margie Sudre on behalf of the Committee on Regional Development. Mr President, I shall not dwell on the importance of this sector for ports, maritime regions and islands in Europe, I think that the importance of this sector for tourism, employment and for the generation of economic activity is clear enough. However it seems that this sector is not being recognised enough in the laws that we are enacting. Indeed, instead of giving it due incentives sometimes we are almost encouraging it to leave Europe. Let me explain – for example in the sector of taxation such as VAT and Excise, the rules which we have, are difficult to apply to the cruise liners industry and are creating serious difficulties. I am referring both to the existing regulations as well as for the Commission’s new proposals regarding changes in the VAT regime. For example, if you are on a cruise and you are served from the ship restaurant, you pay VAT according to the country from where you left – this means that passengers pay different VAT rates on a cruise, according to the country from which they boarded the ship, and the company which manages the ship has to administer different tax rates according to where the passengers have boarded the ship. This is just one example, however, it is ironic that there is actually an incentive to avoid these problems. If the ship makes use of a port of a country which is not a member of the European Union, then the entire voyage becomes automatically duty free, without taxes and without the administrative burden to collect taxes. Therefore, instead of having incentives making it attractive for the cruise liners industry to stay in European ports, as we should have, we are almost encouraging it to leave Europe. I have no doubt that this is not the policy of the European Union and this was not the intention of the legislator, however we must admit that these anomalies exist and we must remove them. Thus my appeal to Commissioner Verheugen is, to address these anomalies, to give more attention to the cruise liner industry and to entice it to keep investing and growing in the countries of the European Union. Thank you."@en1

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