Package Travel
On 12 March 2026, the European Parliament approved, by a large majority, the provisional agreement on amending the Package Travel Directive. This plenary vote marks a decisive step toward formal adoption. The agreement reflects lessons from the pandemic and recent high-profile bankruptcies, strengthening protection for package holidaymakers. The Council must now also adopt the legislation formally.
This agrerment clarifies the definition of a travel package, conditions for cancellation, and travellers' rights to information, assistance, and refunds in cases of insolvency or extraordinary disruptions.
The updated rules specify when combined travel services fall under EU protection and introduce detailed guidance on vouchers. Insolvency guarantee funds must provide refunds within six months, or nine months in exceptional cases. Travel companies are also required to implement structured complaint-handling procedures.
Once formally approved by the Council, Member States will have 28 months to transpose the rules into national law, followed by a six-month application period before the new framework becomes fully operational.
- Press Release on the European Parliament's approval on 12 March 2026
- WATCH from 09.22: Rapporteur reporting back on the last trilogue meeting
- Press Release on the final agreement - 2 December 2025
- Procedure file
- Mandate - 4 column document (PDF - 1 MB)
- WATCH Rapporteur Alex Agius Saliba reporting back on the 1st trilogue meeting