LEGAL PROFILES OF TRAVEL PACKAGES AND
THE DIRECTIVE (EU) 2015/2302 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL OF
25 NOVEMBER 2015 (*).
MICHELE M. COMENALE PINTO
Full Professor of Law of Navigation (Air
and Maritime)
in the University of Sassari
CONTENTS: 1.
Reasons for a new Directive. – 2. The evolution of the regulatory framework. – 3. The CCV. – 4. The reasons for the adoption of European framework. – 5. The innovative elements of the new directive. – 6. Bibliographical
references. – Italian
Abstract.
1. – Reasons for a new Directive
No doubt, the Directive 2015/2302/EU[1]
constitutes the most relevant novelty in tourism and travel packages
regulation. Member States of the Union must adopt a Law to transpose the
Directive within January 1st, 2018 [2] to
make it applicable from the next July 1st. It is part of the EU process of
harmonization of consumer and passenger’s law[3]. It
makes very interesting the topic of tourism contracts in this context of
experts on the air law field. Anyhow, it is a topic
constantly discussed during our Association meetings, which has recently elicited the drafting of a new uniform law[4].
There is no uniform law on tourism and Package Travel, with the exception of
the unsuccessful Convention of Brussels of 23 Avril 1970 (so called CCV) which
was ratified and entered into force among a small number of States. However,
recently, the World Tourism Organization, a specialized Agency of United
Nations in the field of tourism, has drawn up a draft Convention on the
Protection of Tourists and on the Rights and Obligations of Tourist Service
Providers[5].
The European directive has certainly taken into consideration emerging
needs arising from the change in the economic framework of tourist services,
with special reference to overthrowing of roles between airlines and tourism
undertakings in the field of tourism products distribution, seizing the
opportunities opened by the Internet network[6].
Indeed, one of the most significant
novelty elements of the recently issued European directive involves those aspects, with
the provision of an intermediate category between the autonomous sale by
individuals, individually negotiated, services and the category of travel
packages, represented by the «Assisted Tourist Services»[7].
Various offers conveyed through airlines websites (even low-cost carriers) fall
into the latter category[8].
2. – The evolution of the regulatory
framework
Let
us briefly review the evolution
that led to adopt a specific legal framework on
tourism contracts till the last EU directive.
Generally speaking, it is well known that the attention of the
legislator has been starting to focus on passengers carriage quite later
compared to what has occurred for cargo carriage, both at the national and
uniform law level. That is true, with respect to most transport systems, with
the only relative exception of Warsaw Convention of 12 October 1929 on the
Unification of Certain Rules Relating to Air Carriage and the exception of the
Bern Convention of 23 October 1924 on rail transport of persons and luggage. As
it has been already highlighted, the reason must be found in the lack of an
organized social group of travellers who could oppose the interests of
companies operating in the field of transport and their lobbies[9].
The same consideration may be drawn about tourism. From the beginnings,
it essentially started to emerge and flourish as a typical individual activity.
Likewise, it has also been considered in the very limited legal literature
published on that field[10].
The contracts of organized tourism have their prototype in cruise
contracts[11]. At the very beginning of
tourism industry, the latter were intended to satisfy the demand for leisure reserved
to few eccentrics with high income spending power. Such an idea of life onboard
a cruise ship is given through the pages of novels, starting from those
unforgettable images given by Jules Verne, describing the adventures of a group
of gentlemen and ladies who negotiated with a rather improvised organizer[12]: the
novel is apparently inspired by the role of tourist organizers who (back then)
had recently entered into the market, in England during the first half of the
nineteenth century. Thomas Cook probably is the most well-known precursor of
modern Tourist Operators[13].
Maritime and air transport were beyond the scope of application of
transport sector regulation in the original Treaty of Rome of 1957 in a context
where protection of consumers had few references[14].
In the meantime, as a matter of fact, there was a limited diffusion of economic
activities in the field of tourism. Therefore, organized tourism did not
attract much the attention of the Community Legislator, until the adoption of
the Directive 90/314/EEC of 13 June 1990 on package travel, package holidays
and «all inclusive» circuits.
On the other hand, according to EC Court of justice, general principles
of the Treaty of Rome had to be applied also to air and maritime transport
though it did not fall within the scope of application of the transport sector.
This was decided in the field of Air and Tourist Services distribution[15].
Legislators started to take into consideration the emerging phenomenon
of tourism, only after proliferation of mass tourism, because of the spread of
welfare and the increase of average level of income, with the appearance on the
market of «all-inclusive-packages», including transport, lodging,
meals and main services for holidays.
Cruises by ships are among the most popular forms of
all-inclusive-packages. In addition to traditional luxury cruises, cheap
cruises are spreading in the tourist market thanks to giant ships. Nowadays,
there is no doubt about the fact that maritime cruises could fall within the
scope of application of Athens Convention of 1974; although it was not ratified
by Italy, the text was amended by the protocol of London in 1992, which
indirectly constraints Italy, as well as other European Union Member States,
through the reference to its contents operated by Regulation 392, 2009.
«All-inclusive-resorts» are another successful model of
«all-inclusive-packages», according to the model originated in the
French «Club Med Village», since the 1950s. The spread of combinations
of air transport (mostly charter services) and lodging has played a paramount
role in the modern massification of tourism. Facing the social phenomenon of
massified tourism, it has to be realized that there has not been a clear legal
regime for tourists’ rights as well as it occurs for liabilities of
packages’ assemblers. As tourism is basically a transnational phenomenon,
there was a need for uniform law in the sector.
3. – The CCV
Italy was one of the few states that ratified the Brussels Convention of
23 April 1970, better known by the acronym «CCV»; the latter,
despite the lack of success of ratifications, anyhow reached conditions
required for entry into force, in accordance with its article 36. However, it
should be pointed out that in ratifying, Italy made a reserve, availing itself
of the opt-out clause provided by art. 40(a) of the same Convention just for
domestic packages; according to that, the «Convention shall apply only to
international travel agency contracts to be performed totally or partially
within a State other than the State in which the contract was made or from
which the traveller departed».
A very restrictive concept of «Organized Travel Contract»
has been laid down in the aim of defining the scope of application of the CCV
Convention by its Article 1, § 2. According to that definition,
«“Organized Travel Contract” means any contract whereby a
person undertakes in his own name to provide for another, for an inclusive
price, a combination of services comprising transportation, accommodation
separate from the transportation or any other service relating thereto».
In fact, the scope of application is so defined by Article 2, § 1, of CCV
Convention: «This Convention shall apply to any travel contract concluded
by a travel organizer or intermediary, where his principal place of business
or, failing any such place of business, his habitual residence, or the place of
business through which the travel contract has been concluded, is located in a
Contracting State».
In addition, the scope of application is further circumscribed by the
safeguard clause contained in the same article 2, at § 2, declaring that
«This Convention shall apply without prejudice to any special law establishing
preferential treatment for certain categories of travellers».
The CCV never was of great actual relevance where it has entered into
force, even for those States that have signed and ratified it Among European
Countries, beyond Italy it was ratified only by San Marino and Belgium. The
latter denounced the CCV on 4 October 1993. In the Americas, only accession of
Argentina may be mentioned; however, the latter denounced the Convention on 14
January 2009.
The Italian legal framework is still in progress. The legislative
decree No. 79 of 23 May 2011 has repealed Law No. 1084 of 27 December
1977, authorising ratification of the CCV convention. Nevertheless, till now
the Belgian Government as depositary of the Treaty has received no instrument
of denunciation by Italy. Therefore, it still persists in Italy, the problem of
coordination between Eu law and international uniform law, with consequent
problems of identification of appropriate norms to apply in a given situation.
There is some difficulty in comparing and defining scopes of
application between normative systems with different genesis and heterogeneous
framework, drawn up in different context and for not totally coincident
purposes. Beyond such a question, as a first step to solve our problem, we must
compare legal favour for traveller’s position in both frameworks.
Generally speaking, EU normative provided by Directives 90/314/EEC of 13 June
1990 and 2015/2302/EU of 25 November 2015 is more favourable to travellers than
that provided for them under CCV Convention. However, a
point-for-point comparison should be made.
4. – The reasons for the adoption of European
framework
As well as for almost any other EU legal discipline on passenger rights,
the underlying principle of Directives 90/314/EEC of 13 June 1990 and
2015/2302/EU of 25 November 2015 is the elimination of competitive advantages derived
from domestic legislation, in the perspective of allowing completion of «the
internal market, of which the tourist sector is an essential part» [as mentioned
in the first recital of the Directive 90/314/EEC], taking into
account that substantial differences in that field, both in terms of the
regulatory environment, and that of practices, were perceived as «obstacles
to the freedom to provide services in respect of packages and distortions of
competition amongst operators established in different Member States»
[2° recital of Directive 90/314/EEC]; moreover, the ECC Legislator has to
take into consideration that the regulatory approximation worked through the
action of the Community would have brought «the elimination of these
obstacles and thereby to the achievement of a common market in services, thus
enabling operators established in one Member State to offer their services in
other Member States», in addition to allow «Community consumers to
benefit from comparable conditions when buying a package in any Member State»
[3° recital of Directive 90/314/EEC].
Not renouncing such (prominent) motivations, Directive 2015/2302/EU)
formally pays greater attention to consumer’s position. According to the
51th recital of the Directive 2015/2302/EU: «Since the objective of this
Directive, namely to contribute to the proper functioning of the internal
market and to the achievement of a high and as uniform as possible level of
consumer protection, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States, but
can rather, by reason of its scale, be better achieved at Union level, the
Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as
set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance with the
principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Directive does
not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve that objective». The
third recital of the same new directive, even more incisively recalls the
European Treaties: «Article 169(1) and point (a) of Article 169(2) of the
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) provide that the Union
is to contribute to the attainment of a high level of consumer protection
through measures adopted pursuant to Article 114 TFEU».
5. – The innovative elements of the new
directive
Beyond the already mentioned discipline of «dynamic
packages», the regulatory framework introduced by the new Directive
appears innovative if compared to the previous regime under various aspects;
for some others, it seems to mark a step back in protection of travellers'
rights with specific reference to linked travel arrangements (LTA)[16]. I
am going to make some introductory remarks, with respect to what will be
specifically illustrated by my colleague and friend Alessandro Zampone in his
presentation[17].
The concept of «tourist service» as a possible element of
composition of the «travel package» expressly covers rental
services of cars or other motor vehicles, intended for road circulation (art.
3, § 1 (c). On the other hand, rentals of pleasure boats is not
considered, it may be presumed
because of problems of coordination with other norms in the field of
maritime brokerage and recreational navigation[18].
If compared to the previous directive 90/314/EEC, the Directive
2015/2302/EU expressly gives less elasticity to Member States in choosing
solutions for implementation at domestic level, assuming that broader
divergences between rules enforced by Member States would lead to higher costs
for businesses as well as to a restriction to the freedom of providing
services within the European Union, and ultimately to the
competition among European operators. In particular, the lack of homogeneity of
rules on protection of passengers would be a disincentive for tourists to
negotiate tourist services with operators of other Member States outside their
own Country (Preamble, §§ 4 and 6).
On the other hand, Article 23 contains the clause about the mandatory nature of the
Directive, excluding any possibility for organisers of a package or
traders facilitating a linked travel arrangement of eliding their liability by
clauses, declaring that they are acting exclusively as a travel service
provider, as an intermediary or in any other capacity, or that a package or a
linked travel arrangement does not constitute a package or a linked travel
arrangement (art. 23, § 1). Anyhow, the traveller may not dispose of the
rights (art. 23, § 2). Any derogation clause intended to directly or indirectly waive or restrict
the rights conferred on travellers pursuant to that Directive or to circumvent
its application shall not be binding on the traveller (art. 23, § 3).
In comparison with the directive of 1990, the new one strengthens the
obligation of information (Chapter 2) both in the field of pre-contractual
information (Article 5) and in in the field of content of the package travel
contract and documents to be supplied before the beginning of the package
(article 7)[19]. Unlike the Directive of
1990, the right of the traveller to transfer the package travel contract to
another person who satisfies all the conditions applicable to that contract is
not conditioned on impossibility for him to avail himself of the holiday (Art.
9)[20].
Increase of the price of the travel package (only allowed under certain
conditions corresponding to those laid down by the directive of 1990) that
exceed the 8%, as other changes to which the organizer would eventually be
forced, allows the traveller to cancel the contract without any charge, if he
does not «accept a substitute package where this is offered by the
organiser, if possible of an equivalent or a higher quality (art. 11, §
2). They have the same right in case of «a lack of conformity
substantially affects the performance of the package and the organiser has
failed to remedy it within a reasonable period», or they are entitled to
price reduction and/or compensation for damages. In the case of termination of
the packet, if the price was inclusive of carriage, the organizer must provide
repatriation of the traveller with equivalent transport without undue delay and
at no extra cost (art. 13, § 6). Nevertheless, if immediate repatriation
is impossible because of unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances, the
organizer will bear accommodation costs till a maximum of three overnight,
unless a more favourable legislation to passengers’ rights does not apply
because of the transport modality to be employed (art. 13, § 7). The time
limit in question is in line with a trend that has also been expressed in the
recent period and not yet adopted, by the proposal of amend Regulation 261/2004
on passengers’ rights in air carriage. Such a temporal limitation of the
right of accommodation already exists, with reference to passenger rights in
other modes of transport (v. reg. 1177/2010 EC, art. 17, § 2). These
limitations, however, shall not apply in respect of passengers with reduced
mobility, and any person accompanying them, pregnant women and unaccompanied
minors, as well as persons in need of specific medical assistance, provided
that the organiser had received notice of their special needs at least 48 hours
before the beginning of the packet (art. 13, § 8). Moreover, unlike what
provided by the discipline in the field of passengers’ rights, the above
considered provision of Directive 2015/2302/EU seems to cover just the cost of
accommodation and does not extend to the other expenses of stay.
6. – Bibliographical
references
1. Basic references sources.
1.1. Italian
Literature. B.
Belotti, Il diritto turistico. Nella legge, nella
dottrina e nella giurisprudenza, Milan, 1919; G. Romanelli, Agenzie
di viaggio e contratto avente per oggetto l'assistenza turistica, in Riv. dir. nav., 1959, I, 256; G. Romanelli, G. Silingardi, Viaggi e soggiorni organizzati, in Dir. aereo, 1977, 1; E. Roppo, Convenzione internazionale relativa al contratto di viaggio, in N.L.C.C., 1978, 1757; M. Grigoli, Il contratto di viaggio, in Trattato
di diritto privato, directed by P. Rescigno, XI, Turin, 1984, 801; M. Deiana, La disciplina del contratto di organizzazione di viaggio turistico nei
viaggi interni, in Dir. trasp.,
1988, II, 113; G. Romanelli, Il contenuto del contratto di organizzazione
di viaggio e la sua integrazione, in
Dir. trasp., 1990, II, 39; G. Silingardi, V. Zeno-Zencovich
(edited by), La tutela del turista,
Naples, 1993; G. Silingardi, F. Morandi,
La «vendita di pacchetti
turistici». La direttiva 13 giugno 1990, n. 90/314/CEE, ed il d. lg. 17
marzo 1995, n. 111; Turin, 1996; M.
E. La Torre, Il contratto di
viaggio «tutto compreso», in Giust. civ., 1996, II, 26; G.
Silingardi, F. Morandi, La tutela
del turista nella disciplina comunitaria, Rome, 1997; A. Antonini,
Prestazione di servizi turistici e
diritti del cliente danneggiato, in Riv.
dir. civ., 1997, II, 391; G. Tassoni,
Il contratto di viaggio, Milano,
1998; S. Pollastrelli, Il problema della responsabilità nel
viaggio marittimo-aeronautico turistico, Trieste, 2000; S. Busti, La legislazione turistica fra le nuove frontiere del diritto dei
trasporti?, in Dir. trasp., 2002,
1; V. Buonocore, I contratti di trasporti e di viaggio,
Turin, 2003; S. Monticelli, M. Gazzara,
Il contratto di viaggio, in I contratti dei consumatori, edited by
E. Gabrielli, E. Minervini, Turin, 2005, 743; L.
Tullio, La responsabilità
dell'organizzatore e dell'intermediario di viaggi turistici, in Studi in onore di Cesare Massimo Bianca,
III, Milan, 2006, 987; F. Molfese,
Il contratto di viaggio e le agenzie
turistiche, 2nd. ed., Padua, 2006; M.
Cimmino, Qualità della
vacanza e inesatto adempimento, Neaples, 2008; L. Tullio, Viaggio,
in Diritto civile, directed by N.
Lipari e P. Rescigno, II, Obbligazioni,
Milano, 2009, 271; L. Rossi Carleo, M.
Dona, Il contratto di viaggio
turistico, Neaples, 2010; M. G.
Cocuccio, Viaggio turistico e
vacanza rovinata, Milano, 2010; V.
Franceschelli, Turismo e trasporto
aereo (da passeggero a passeggero turista), in XXXIV Jornadas Latinoamericanas de derecho aeronáutico y
espacial, edited by M. O. Folchi, M. M. Comenale Pinto, U. La Torre, R.
Tranquilli Leali, Padua, 2010, 525; F. Morandi, Alcune riflessioni sui rapporti tra contratto di viaggio e contratto di
trasporto aereo, in Il trasporto aereo
tra normativa comunitaria ed uniforme, edited by R. Tranquilli Leali, E. G.
Rosafio, Milan, 2011, 411; R. Pasquili,
La prestazione dell’organizzatore
nel contratto di viaggio, Torino, 2012;
E. G. Rosafio, Pacchetti turistici
e posizione del consumatore: brevi considerazioni, in Alada en Cabo Verde. XXVI Jornadas Latinoamericanas de derecho
aeronáutico y espacial, edited by M. O. Folchi, Buenos Aires, 2013,
188; R. Santagata, Diritto del turismo, 3rd ed.,
Milanofiori Assago, 2014, 271 ss.; C.
Alvisi, Il diritto del turismo
nell’ordine giuridico del mercato, Turin, 2015; G. Grisi, S. Mazzamuto, Diritto del turismo, Turin, 2017; F.
Morandi, Verso un nuovo ordine
internazionale della tutela dei turisti e dei diritti e obblighi dei fornitori
dei servizi turistici, in Dir. mar., 2018,
564.
1.2 Foreign Literature. W. Vanderperren, Convention internationale relative au contrat de voyage, in Annuaire Unidroit, 1970, 57; E. Mapelli López, El Convenio Internacional de Bruselas de
1970 sobre contrato de viaje y su relación con la responsabilidad del
transportador aéreo, in Anuario
español de derecho internacional, 7, 1983-1984, 145; I. Quintana Carlo, La adaptación del derecho español a la normativa
comunitaria sobre viajes combinados, in Estudios
sobre Consumo, 1991/22, 43; M. G. Sanches Lima, The
Supranational Organization' Initiatives Aimed at Protection of Tourists. Why International Conventions Are
Needed, in Consumer Law and Socioeconomic Development: National and
International Dimensions, edited by C. Lima Marques, D. Wei, Cham, 2017, 71.
2. Studies about the Directive of 2015 and preliminary works. A. Venchiarutti, Viaggi organizzati e
tutela del turista. Profili di diritto comparato e europeo (Prima parte), Padua, 2012, 19; S. Keiler, F.
Morandi, An overview of the
proposal for a new Package Travel and Assisted Travel Arrangements: The
proposal for a new Directive in light of a possible full harmonization approach,
in Riv. it. dir. tur., 2014, 5; A. Asensi Meras,
Contratación on line de servicios
turísticos y paquetes dinámicos de Turismo, in Revista Investigaciones Turísticas,
no. 12, 2016, 163; I. González Cabrera, ¿Estamos ante el mismo producto si se adquiere en línea
un viaje combinado o distintos servicios de viaje vinculados?, in Revista de Derecho Civil, 2016, n. 3,
139; I. Peinado Gracia, La protección del pasajero en el contrato de viaje combinado y
en la prestación de servicios asistidos de viaje: la responsabilidad del
transportista aéreo y de los operadores turísticos, in La responsabilidad del transportista
aéreo y la protección de los pasajeros, edited by M. J.
Guerrero Lebrón, Madrid, 2015, 513; A. Paniza
Fullana,
Viajes combinados y servicios de viaje
vinculados: replanteamiento de conceptos y sus consecuencias sobre la
responsabilidad, Madrid, 2017; A. Finessi (edited by), La nuova disciplina europea dei contratti di viaggio. La direttiva
2015/2302/UE e le prospettive della sua attuazione nell’ordinamento
italiano, Neaples, 2017; F. Morandi, The New European Regulation of Package travel and linked travel
Arrangements, in Dir. trasp.,
2017, 99; G. Pruneddu, Le compagnie low cost tra disciplina dei
servizi aerei e tutela dell’utente, Rome, 2017, 16 ss.; V. Franceschelli, F. Morandi, C. Torres
(edited by), The New Package Travel
Directive, Estoril-Lisboa, 2017; A. Finessi, La responsabilità del professionista
nella nuova disciplina dei contratti di viaggio, in Nuove leggi civ. comm., 2018, 1307; S. Pagliantini, Modifiche anteriori e
recesso da un contratto di pacchetto turistico secondo il canone della
direttiva 2015/2302/UE: per un repertorio (frastagliato) di problemi teorici e
pratici a prima lettura, in Contr. Impr. Eur., 2017, 222; Id., Tra diritto delle Corti e teoria dei controlimiti: il recesso del
viaggiatore dal contratto di pacchetto turistico ai sensi dell'art. 12 dir.
2015/2302 UE, in Europa dir. priv.,
2018, 41; A. Zampone, Riflessioni sulla Dir. (UE) 2015/1302 relativa ai pacchetti turistici
ed ai servizi turistici collegati, in Dir.
trasp., 2018, 1; G. Pruneddu,
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turistici ed attività commerciali delle compagnie aeree, in Dir. maritt., 2018, 356 ss.; G. Terlizzi, Modifiche unilaterali e cancellazione del pacchetto turistico. La
normativa in vigore e le novità introdotte dalla direttiva 2015/2302 UE,
in Osservatorio di diritto civile e
commerciale, 2018, 145 ss.; O. Bokareva, EU Passenger and Travel
Law: Regional Harmonization and Implications for the International Regime,
in Port, Maritime and Transport Law
between Legacies of the Past and Modernization, edited by M. Musi, Bologna,
2018, 684.
La nuova direttiva 2015/2302/UE ha preso atto del mutamento del
quadro economico dei servizi turistici, ed in particolare del sovvertimento dei
rapporti fra le imprese turistiche e quelle di trasporto, in particolare le
compagnie aeree, per quanto concerne la distribuzione, propiziata dalle
opportunità aperte dalla rete Internet la previsione di una categoria
intermedia fra la vendita autonoma dei singoli servizi e quella dei pacchetti
turistici, ovvero quella dei «servizi turistici assistiti», con
soluzioni che in parte aprono ad una maggior tutela del turista, ed in parte
sembrano, viceversa, più sensibili agli interessi degli operatori.
Nella nozione di servizio turistico che può concorrere di
integrare il pacchetto turistico sono espressamente contemplati servizi di
noleggio di autoveicolo o motoveicolo, destinato alla circolazione stradale.
Non vengono viceversa menzionati i noleggi di unità nautiche destinate
al diporto, rispetto ai quali, potrebbe peraltro presentarsi qualche problema
di coordinamento con altre normative.
Nel confronto con la precedente direttiva 90/314/CEE, la
direttiva 2015/2302/UE lascia dichiaratamente minore elasticità agli
Stati membri, per quanto concerne l'attuazione, sul presupposto che eccessive
divergenze tra le legislazioni possano comportare costi maggiori per le imprese
e ostacoli alla libera circolazione dei servizi e, in definitiva alla
concorrenza tra i vari operatori. Gli obblighi di informazione sono maggiormente
specificati rispetto a quanto avveniva nella disciplina della direttiva del
1990, sia per quanto concerne le informazioni contrattuali, sia per quanto
concerne informazioni e documenti da fornire prima dell'inizio della fruizione
del pacchetto. Diversamente che nella direttiva del 1990, il diritto di
cessione del pacchetto, sia pure previo ragionevole preavviso, non è
condizionato all'impossibilità di fruire del servizio tutto compreso.