The European Commission welcomes the provisional political agreement reached last night between the European Parliament and the Council on the revised Package Travel Directive.
With these new rules, we strengthen the protection of travellers, and we improve the situation for the package travel organisers sector, a sector largely composed by SMEs and micro-enterprises.
The Package Travel Directive covers pre-arranged package holidays, but also combinations of different types of travel services, such as accommodation or car rental, and offers a high level of protection to consumers.
The COVID-19 crisis, which led to mass cancellations, highlighted several gaps and problems in the application of the Directive and prompted a revision of the current rules.
The new rules will reinforce travellers rights, including during crisis situations and strengthen the travel industry overall by ensuring legal certainty for both companies and consumers.
Consumers buying travel packages will be better protected when a package tour is cancelled, with clearer rules on reimbursements.
Holidaymakers will also receive clear information on whether a combination of travel services constitutes a package and who is liable if there are problems. Travellers can receive their money back within six months in case of insolvency and at the latest within nine months in exceptional cases. The directive also specifies the travellers right to terminate a travel package contract without a termination fee due to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances. When submitting a complaint after a trip, travellers will be entitled to a response within 60 days.
Next steps
The Directive must now be formally adopted by the European Parliament and the Council. Following its entry into force, Member States will have 28 months to transpose the Directive into national law.
Background
In March 2021, the Commission published a report on the application of the Package Travel Directive. The report assessed the rules in the context of the 2019 Thomas Cook bankruptcy and the challenges that emerged during the COVID-19 crisis, which had a major impact both on travellers and on the travel market. Building on these lessons, the Commission proposed in November 2023 new measures designed to improve the experience of travellers by strengthening their rights. On 2 December 2025, the co-legislators found a political agreement on the proposal put forward by the Commission.
For more information
Package travel directive - European Commission
2023 Adoption package for the Proposal to Amend the Package Travel Directive - European Commission
