Resoconto integrale delle discussioni

Giovedì 16 novembre 2017 - Strasburgo

12. 2018 - Anno del turismo UE-Cina (discussione)

  Przewodniczący. – Kolejnym punktem porządku dnia jest debata nad pytaniem wymagającym odpowiedzi ustnej skierowanym do Komisji przez Petrę Kammerevert w imieniu Komisji Kultury i Edukacji w sprawie 2018: Rok Turystyki między UE i Chinami (O-000071/2017 - B8-0609/2017) (2017/2846(RSP)).

  Michaela Šojdrová, zastupující autorku. – Pane předsedající, pane komisaři, mám tu čest jménem Výboru pro kulturu a vzdělávání představit ústní otázku Komisi týkající se roku cestovního ruchu mezi Evropskou unií a Čínou pro následující rok 2018. Byla jsem iniciátorkou této otázky a jsem ráda, že ji podpořily všechny frakce v našem výboru. Spojuje nás společné znepokojení. Komise a její předseda Juncker v roce 2016 na jednání s čínským předsedou vlády Li Kche-čchiangem rozhodli, že rok 2018 bude rokem cestovního ruchu mezi EU a Čínou. Učinili tak bez konzultace s Evropským parlamentem. My jsme neměli možnost seznámit se s obsahem a podmínkami tohoto projektu.

Přitom to byl právě výbor CULT a následně celý Evropský parlament, který již v roce 2016 přišel s iniciativou, aby rok 2018 byl vyhlášen Evropským rokem kulturního dědictví. Máme pro to vážné důvody a očekávání. Evropská unie prožívá období nárůstu populismu, radikalismu a štěpení. Proto se chceme vrátit ke kořenům evropské civilizace. Chceme zejména mladší generaci připomenout to, že žijeme v historicky bezprecedentně dlouhém období míru, svobody a prosperity. To vše bylo vykoupeno miliony lidských obětí. Proto se můžeme v bezpečí těšit z kulturního bohatství, které nás vždy spojovalo. Cílem Evropského roku kulturního dědictví je tedy především podpora evropských hodnot a posílení naši sounáležitosti.

Právem se proto ptáme, co je cílem EU-China turism year? Naše otázky jsou:

1. Může Komise vysvětlit, proč je pro Evropu tak důležité, aby rok cestovního ruchu mezi EU a Čínou probíhal v témže roce jako Evropský rok kulturního dědictví?

2. Jak bude Komise současně řídit obě iniciativy?

3. Jak plánuje Komise vytvořit synergie mezi oběma aktivitami?

4. Jak hodlá Komise zajistit dostatečné zviditelnění obou aktivit?

Z těchto otázek jasně vyplývá, o co nám jde. Není nám zkrátka jasné, jak budou obě akce řízeny a propagovány tak, aby zejména rok Evropského kulturního dědictví nebyl oslaben. Z našeho pohledu se jedná o aktivity spíše nesourodé a vzájemně si konkurující. Zajímá nás, proč se Komise k tomuto tematickému a finančnímu rozmělnění iniciativ v kulturní oblasti rozhodla. Komise v případě roku cestovního ruchu vychází vstříc Číně v oblasti, která se rozvíjí velmi intenzivně i bez veřejné podpory. Přitom se Komise chystá vynaložit 8 milionů EUR na společnou propagační platformu. Zajímá nás, zda to je konečné číslo, nebo zda přislíbila ještě nějaké další financování. Cestovní ruch mezi členskými státy a Čínou se rozvíjí velmi rychle a není nutné jej podporovat z evropské úrovně, zejména pak ne finančně. I bez této podpory v loňském roce navštívilo Evropskou unii téměř 11 milionů turistů z Číny.

Kladu si otázku: Jak můžeme podpořit evropské hodnoty, když ve stejném období budeme spolupracovat s Čínou bez jakýchkoli podmínek v oblasti lidských práv? Připomínám, že v Číně je stále skoro 1 500 politických vězňů a masivně jsou porušována lidská i sociální práva desítek milionů lidí. V souvislosti s naší pondělní debatou o pronásledování křesťanů bych ráda dodala, že pokud Číňané chtějí navštěvovat křesťanské památky v Evropě jako turisté, musí přestat pronásledovat křesťany a také další náboženské menšiny u sebe doma. Taková by měla být výchozí pozice Komise při podobných iniciativách ve vztahu k Číně.

Z odborného hlediska vyvstává otázka, zda masový cestovní ruch je nějak zvlášť prospěšný pro uchování kulturních památek. Měla bych o tom své pochybnosti. To platí pro mnohá místa v Evropě, která čelí přetížení z přívalu turistů, ale platí to i např. pro Tibet pod čínskou správou, kde masový turismus ze Západu podporovaný Číňany má spíše destruktivní vliv na místní kulturu.

Pokusila jsem se zde předestřít hlavní otázky, které nás v této souvislosti znepokojují, a doufám, že Komise na ně odpoví. Nás výbor bude pochopitelně nápomocen při hledání pozitivního řešení.

A na závěr prosba. Prosím nepodezírejte nás z toho, že jsme proti spolupráci. To rozhodně ne. Ale chceme dát jasně najevo, že hodnoty lidských práv a svobod jsou součástí naší evropské politiky a nejsou na prodej. Děkuji za Vaši pozornost a těším se na odpověď, pane komisaři.

  Phil Hogan, Member of the Commission. – Mr President, I am taking this point on behalf of Commissioner Bieńkowska. I would like to thank the honourable Member for the question on the 2018 EU—China Tourism Year and its relationship with the European Year of Cultural Heritage.

As you know, these two initiatives are very important for the Commission. We decided to have the tourism year with China in 2018 following the 2016 US—China Year and the 2017 Australia—China Year, and the reason is clear. These countries are our immediate competitors in this particular region, and in the tourism sector in particular. We needed to match their efforts to attract Chinese travellers. The Tourism Year is also a unique opportunity to restore the image of the European Union as a tourism destination in the face of growing global competition from other markets.

The two Years are pursuing different, but complementary, policy objectives. The main objective of the European Year of Cultural Heritage is the promotion and preservation of Europe’s cultural heritage and the values it embodies. The main objective of the EU-China Tourism Year is jobs and growth. The EU-China Tourism Year aims to attract more of the most desirable Chinese travellers. I am talking about those with high revenues, travelling off—season, not only to famous, but also to lesser—known, places. Overall, both Years contribute to developing sustainable cultural tourism. They make us consider how to preserve our heritage and help us find ways to finance its preservation in a sustainable manner.

Managing the two initiatives in parallel will not be a problem. The Commission services are coordinating our efforts to make sure that everything will go according to schedule. In addition, right from the start we have been working together intensively within the Commission, and I would like to give you one example. Under the European Year of Cultural Heritage, UNESCO was asked to develop four thematic itineraries between lesser—known world heritage sites in the European Union in order to attract tourists in a sustainable way, but it was also asked to conceive them for Chinese travellers especially and to promote them in China under the logo of the EU—China Tourism Year.

The two initiatives have dedicated budgets and will be advertised through separate means, targeting different audiences. This budget is EUR 4.3 million, not EUR 8 million. In the case of the EU—China Tourism Year, we have mainly targeted the EU travel and tourism industry. We will use business-to-business events to point to opportunities and ways to be more China-ready. In China, we are targeting a wider audience in addition to Chinese tour operators, thanks to events attracting the attention of the Chinese mass media. The 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage targets the wider European public with a specific focus on young people between 15 and 25 years old.

So the two Years are pursuing different policy goals and targeting different groups, but there are complementarities and synergies on which we can build and we are making sure that these synergies are exploited. I want to assure the Member that this is the way in which we are proceeding and to inform the House that Commissioner Navracsics, the relevant Commissioner, has been in China in the past few days, making sure that the issues that are rightly addressed by the Member are being addressed and that complementarity is being achieved.

  Michaela Šojdrová, on behalf of the PPE Group. – Mr President, I would like to pass on to you my colleague, Mr Sógor’s, apologies. He had to leave earlier on because of the strike in France. I will now read his statement.

I think that at least once or twice in our lives many of us have already been confronted with the question of whether travelling to a country where human rights are violated is ethical or not. I believe that, as in most issues, it is the scale and the severity of the violation that matters. Even though many countries across the globe are far from perfect in this regard, China still stands out, but even in China there are regions that stand out.

Let us take the case of Tibet, which is at the rock—bottom of the freedom ranking list of Freedom House, a place where civil and political rights are non-existent. Now let us suppose that Tibet for a while is not closed to foreign tourists, let us suppose that with your passport – something that most Tibetans are not allowed to have – you can visit the region. Let us suppose that, as a foreigner, you can get past through police road checks and you can enter Lhasa, a city which ordinary Tibetans from outside the city are restricted to access.

You would find yourself in a place where draconian surveillance measures are implemented to enforce the so-called ‘stability’ of the region; where detentions, prosecutions and convictions of Tibetans for the peaceful exercise of their freedoms of expression, assembly and religious belief are carried out in alarming numbers; where many Tibetans set themselves on fire because they are denied their basic fundamental rights; or where state policies encourage migration from other parts of China in order to reduce the ethnic Tibetan share of the population.

In the light of this, I firmly believe that the conclusion of a tourism agreement with China, without a single human rights reference, is not ethical, nor is it in line with our universal and foreign policy values.

  Ангел Джамбазки, от името на групата ECR. – Г-н Председател, уважаеми г-н представител на Комисията, уважаеми колеги, така зададен въпросът, който сега обсъждаме, би трябвало да получи следния отговор: двете инициативи не трябва по никакъв начин да се противопоставят и да се сблъскват. Има ли интерес от Европейска година на културата? Да, разбира се. Има ли интерес от туризма в Европейския съюз от страна на гражданите на Китайската народна република? Да, разбира се.

Но когато започнем да поставяме въпроса за вътрешния ред в Китай, нека да не бъдем лицемерни тогава и да попитаме: търгуват ли европейски държави, да речем, със Саудитска Арабия? Нарушават ли се човешките права в Саудитска Арабия? Аз твърдя, че да. Само да напомня на вносителя на въпроса и на останалите колеги, че в Саудитска Арабия се извършват публични екзекуции на площада с меч. Отрязват се глави на хора. Но компании от държави от Европейския съюз продават и търгуват със Саудитска Арабия.

Какво е това – лицемерие, двоен стандарт? Как точно определяме коя държава е лоша, коя не е лоша и къде слагаме етикета за защита на човешките права? И в края на краищата, има международен правен ред. Има редица държави, които формират международния правен ред. Сред тях са Китай, сред тях е Саудитска Арабия, Турция. Търгуваме ли с Турция? Търгуваме. Има ли нарушаване на човешките права в Турция? Да, има. Защитават ли ги колегите? Защитават ги. Е, къде тогава е средното сечение? И къде тогава определяме коя държава повече нарушава човешките права и коя – не?

Твърдя, че ние имаме интерес от представянето на европейските държави в Китай. Има интерес от китайски туристи в европейските държави. Нещо повече, има интерес от развитие на търговията. Защото търговията, туризмът, икономиката са просперитет и дават възможности за по-голямо развитие, по-добър жизнен стандарт, просперитет и печалби. И затова мисля, че тази зала не е място, на което трябва да мерим с различни аршини къде повече се нарушават човешките права.

  Andrejs Mamikins, on behalf of the S&D Group. – Mr President, in my view, if we want to place the accent on one theme one year, it would be logical not to devalue it by creating another similar theme the next year. Such a policy could lead to the absurd ‘Year of Everything’. In my opinion, that is not our aim.

I understand that the EU—China Tourism Year is very important for the Commission in order to create better relations with China, but it could be better implemented in another form. I hope that in the future this consideration will be taken into account.

  Yana Toom, on behalf of the ALDE Group. – Mr President, Europe is famous for its cultural pluralism and openness. Cultural ties with China are based on good political and economic relations. In the case of China, the link between tourism and cultural interests is obvious. Therefore the idea of carrying out the EU—China Tourism Year is welcomed.

Should the EU-China Tourism Year and the European Year of Cultural Heritage coincide in time? I believe that this is possible in so far as the Commission can ensure their adequate organisation. Although both initiatives are related to culture, their content will be different. In addition, the synergy between these activities is possible and desirable.

China and the EU are regional and world leaders with ancient cultural traditions that can mutually enrich our people. So I do not think that the EU-China Tourism Year can somehow prevent the promotion of European identity and values. Our similarities and our differences will be much more visible against the backdrop of our Asian partner.

(The speaker agreed to take a blue-card question under Rule 162(8))

  Andrejs Mamikins (S&D), zilās kartītes jautājums. – Liels paldies, Toom kundze, ka jūs pieņēmāt manu zilās kartītes jautājumu.

Šonedēļ, šeit, Eiropas Parlamentā, — īstenībā vakardien — mēs atzīmējām simtgadi boļševiku revolūcijai, un vairāki kolēģi nosodīja komunistisko režīmu, komunistisko partiju utt. Un tajā pašā laikā mēs šeit, Parlamentā, gribam draudzēties ar Ķīnu — valsti ar pusotru miljardu cilvēku, kuru vada komunistiskā partija. Jums nešķiet, ka tā zināmā mērā ir arī divkosība? Paldies!

  Yana Toom (ALDE), blue-card answer. – Thank you for the question. You know I spoke about this yesterday. For me it is a bit hypocritical. Yesterday, I reminded my colleagues that we have representatives of eight communist parties here and that we have pretty good relations with China’s communist regime.

  Molly Scott Cato, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, there is a deep irony in the fact that the EU-China Tourism Year and the European Year of Cultural Heritage will both take place next year. We will celebrate and promote European cultural diversity, while at the same time working to improve opportunities to increase economic cooperation, in the words of the European Commission, with a regime that represses such diversity in its own territory, often with the utmost brutality and with a blatant disregard for human rights.

I am thinking particularly of Tibet, where culture and religion have been the target of relentless oppression at the same time as their remnants are being used to boost Chinese tourism. We should not forget that while Tibetans themselves are not permitted to travel freely and while many Tibetans live in extreme poverty, the Chinese state-sponsored tourism industry reaps the benefits of the appropriation of Tibetan culture and history. In fact, Tibetans are rarely employed by this industry and are not even required to give their consent to huge infrastructure projects aimed at boosting tourism.

I have never been to China but it is clearly a diverse, rich and fascinating country. Neither have I visited Tibet, although what I have learned about the country and its culture through my work in the European Parliament is compelling. My own choice would be to avoid visiting an occupied country that is being deprived of its right to self-determination and I would urge others to follow this policy.

Much closer to home, in July this year Liverpool FC signed a controversial sponsorship deal with Tibet Water Resources Limited that exploits the natural resources of Tibet to the detriment of the local population and the environment. Such commercial agreements not only lend legitimacy to China’s occupation of Tibet but are, in fact, only possible because of it. This sponsorship deal puts the club and the city of Liverpool at the centre of China’s on-going occupation of Tibet. I know that this does not reflect the views of either the fans or the city, and I urge the club to reconsider this misguided and ill-considered deal. We also need to consider whether this is the kind of reckless international economic cooperation that we want to promote as EU institutions.

The unfortunate timing of the EU-China Tourism Year sends a signal that economic interests are once again being prioritised over human rights.

In concluding, I urge the Commission to put human rights firmly on the agenda with our international partners, for example by calling on Beijing to restart talks with the representatives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama that have been stalled since 2010.

(The speaker agreed to take a blue-card question under Rule 162(8))

  Tomáš Zdechovský (PPE), otázka položená zvednutím modré karty. – Vážená paní poslankyně, kvituji Vaši řeč i ten důraz na lidská práva, ale chtěl bych se Vás zeptat velmi pragmaticky a bez jakékoliv ironie nebo sarkasmů. Chtěl bych se zeptat: Jak byste tu situaci řešila? Jak byste řešila dneska vztahy s Čínou, co byste upřednostnila? Myslíte si, že bychom měli nějak přehodnotit třeba ekonomické vztahy s Čínou? Jak bychom měli třeba přistoupit k tomuto roku?

  Molly Scott Cato (Verts/ALE), blue-card answer. – Thank you very much for that question. I have a very pragmatic response which is to say that the Commission, when negotiating trade deals and when thinking about its economic partnerships, should place human rights and high social and environmental standards right at the heart. A good way to do that will be to support the binding Human Rights Charter for global corporations, which is currently being negotiated by the UN. Unfortunately, the EU has sided with the USA and with the corporations in not supporting that binding charter, but that is a very practical way in which we can defend human rights through our economic partnerships and through our trade policy.

  Seán Kelly (PPE). – A Uachtaráin, is dóigh liom go bhfuil moladh tuillte ag Feisire Sojdrova as ucht an cheist a chur ar an gCoimisiún agus an t-ábhar seo a chur ar an gclár anseo inniu. Ach d’fhreagair, ar son an Choimisiúin, an tUasal Ó hÓgáin í agus b’fhéidir nach bhfuil sé idéalach, ach is ceart dúinn glacadh leis agus bualadh ar aghaidh chun an dá rud a chur chun cinn, is é sin Aontas Sóirte, an tSín agus an tAontas agus Bliain Chultúrtha na hEorpa.

So the Commissioner’s answer, I think, will suffice. We have an opportunity to promote culture, and I know I come from a country with a rich cultural heritage: our language,

Bíonn seans agam í a labhairt sa Pharlaimint anseo.

our games, our music, our dance, our literature. I think the European Year of Culture will give us a great opportunity to promote that, as well as for other Member States. The synergies involved will actually help us to grow both an appreciation of our culture and also the jobs etc. associated with it.

But that does not mean we cannot promote the year of EU-China tourism as well. China is the second-largest travelling group in the world in terms of tourism. They have a huge expenditure of EUR 1.4 billion, and in my own country last year 60 000 Chinese came to visit us. So of course we should have a promotion of EU-China tourism.

Also , while I agree completely that human rights is a major issue – we just spent two hours discussing human rights issues this morning – you cannot say, on the one hand: because we are not happy with your human rights record we are not going to have any business with you; and, on the other hand, say: because Donald Trump pulled out of the climate change and now you have taken leadership, we are delighted with you and we are going to cooperate with you. So these are all issues to be taken in tandem, but I definitely think that these two can work together, as the Commissioner said, and I think it is going to be good for everybody.

  Isabella De Monte (S&D). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, signor Commissario, credo che istituire l'Anno del turismo tra Unione europea e Cina sia una grande opportunità per la nostra Europa. Inoltre, lo stesso 2018 sarà anche l'Anno europeo del patrimonio culturale.

La combinazione di queste due importanti iniziative rappresenta un'occasione di crescita e una ricchezza per l'Europa in termini di sviluppo economico e occupazione, due priorità dell'Unione europea. Nonostante la crisi economica, il turismo è uno dei settori che negli ultimi dieci anni ha avuto una maggiore crescita a livello mondiale ed è la terza attività economica d'Europa dopo il commercio e il settore delle costruzioni. Il suo impatto sul prodotto interno lordo arriva al 10 % se si calcolano anche le attività indirettamente connesse.

Bisogna però tener conto del fatto che si tratta di un settore estremamente vulnerabile e soprattutto in costante evoluzione. A proposito della vulnerabilità, occorre tener conto dell'aspetto demografico, in quanto i turisti sono più anziani che nei passati decenni. In merito all'evoluzione, invece, riscontriamo l'arrivo di turisti da paesi emergenti come appunto la Cina.

Il turismo, inoltre, gioca un ruolo fondamentale per il potenziamento della crescita in molti settori come ad esempio quello dei trasporti. La nuova via della seta, che collega il nostro continente a quello asiatico, è di vitale importanza per avvicinare le differenti culture e agevolare gli scambi anche culturali. L'Europa è ad oggi la prima destinazione turistica mondiale per le sue bellezze naturali, paesaggistiche e culturali, ma per mantenere il primato è necessario avviare adeguate politiche di sviluppo.

Fondamentale in questo processo è la liberalizzazione dei visti turistici. Inoltre, sia Europa che Cina devono puntare al miglioramento dell'esperienza turistica, valorizzando le destinazioni meno note e più sostenibili, ovviando così al problema del turismo di massa. Di vitale importanza sono quindi buoni collegamenti aerei tra i due continenti, ma soprattutto interni. Essi, infatti, porteranno i turisti a scoprire non sono le mete classiche ma anche ad esplorare luoghi inconsueti.

Diversità culturale, ricchezza e storia dell'Unione europea non sono riscontrabili solo nelle capitali europee, ma in tutte le destinazioni, anche le più remote. Arrivare a tali località, anche grazie alla digitalizzazione, aiuterà i territori a trovare sostenibilità economica, evitare lo spopolamento e alleggerire l'afflusso dei turisti nelle destinazioni troppo affollate.

Le due iniziative che si svolgeranno contemporaneamente nel 2018 possono generare complicazioni. Auspico, dunque, che la Commissione sappia trovare una tabella di marcia comune e creare sinergie. Sono infine molto orgogliosa del fatto che entrambe le iniziative si svolgono nel mio paese, l'Italia. Infatti, l'inaugurazione dell'Anno europeo del patrimonio culturale si terrà a Milano e quella dell'Anno del turismo a Venezia.

  Urszula Krupa (ECR). – Panie Przewodniczący! Podzielam wątpliwości autorki dotyczące łączenia obchodów europejskiego dziedzictwa kulturowego – które ma ogromne znaczenie dla historii europejskiego bogactwa kulturowego – z ogłoszeniem roku turystyki między Unią a Chinami, która oczywiście stanowi ogromną wartość, podobnie jak handel czy kontakty gospodarcze. Jednak Unia powinna przekonać Chiny nie tylko do ochrony środowiska, ale do przestrzegania uniwersalnych wartości, takich jak prawa człowieka, które są nadal łamane w Chinach, gdzie w ostatnich latach wzrosło prześladowanie chrześcijan z burzeniem kościołów, usuwaniem krzyża, aresztowaniem wiernych i kapłanów. Ponadto od wielu lat, mimo wystosowania różnych rezolucji z całego świata, także z Parlamentu Europejskiego, Stanów Zjednoczonych, Australii, Izraela czy Kanady, nadal trwa na ogromną skalę handel ludzkimi narządami pobieranymi od zabijanych więźniów wraz z czerpaniem zysków z tego procederu. Pieniądze czy turystyka nie mogą być ważniejsze od ludzkiego życia i jego godności.

  Ivan Jakovčić (ALDE). – Gospodine predsjedniče, malo me čudi logika ovog pitanja, moram reći. Veliki dio nas ovdje živio je u komunističkim državama, i voljeli smo putovati i voljeli smo turizam, i zato me malo čudi da prozivamo Kinu zbog njihovog režima. Ovdje govorimo o turizmu, ljudi moji.

Ja sam imao čast voditi Istru, najturističkiju regiju u Hrvatskoj, i znam što znači turizam za naše građane. Pa potaknimo turizam i iz Kine. Ja mislim da je to jedna sjajna inicijativa i čak povezana s godinom kulture koja se također priprema za narednu godinu.

Jednu stvar moramo znati. Datumi za kineske turiste su odlični za nas, na Mediteranu pogotovo, jer oni uglavnom putuju u postsezoni i predsezoni, jer su takvi njihovi datumi kad idu na godišnje odmore.

I zadnja stvar, evo ovo dokazuje što stalno tvrdim, treba nam agencija za turizam Europske unije. Moramo institucionalizirati ono što donosi 10 % bruto društvenog proizvoda Europske unije.

(Govornik je pristao odgovoriti na pitanje postavljeno podizanjem plave kartice (članak 162. stavak 8. Poslovnika)).

  Michaela Šojdrová (PPE), otázka položená zvednutím modré karty. – Děkuji, že přijímáte otázku. Já jsem upozornila na to, že do Evropy za minulý rok, za rok 2016, přijelo 11 milionů čínských turistů. Domníváte se, že to je málo? Domníváte se, že musíme tomu dělat velkou evropskou propagaci? Nikdo nechce bránit agenturám, aby podporovaly turistický ruch, aby vozily turisty. Rozhodně tomu nechceme bránit, ale pokud Evropa dává něčemu podporu, pak to má spojit i s prosazováním svých evropských hodnot.

  Ivan Jakovčić (ALDE), odgovor na pitanje postavljeno podizanjem plave kartice. – Poštovana gospođo Šojdrova, hvala Vam na pitanju. Ja mislim potpuno suprotno od Vas. Ja mislim da bi Europska unija trebala institucionalizirati turizam, kao što sam rekao, trebamo imati agenciju za turizam kad već imamo toliko agencija jer turizam donosi 10 % bruto društvenog proizvoda Europske unije. To je strašno puno novaca.

I da, treba nam više turista iz Kine. Da, treba nam. Prije sam vam objasnio. Možda taj detalj niste znali. Za Mediteranski turizam kineski turisti su idealni jer dolaze u predsezoni i u postsezoni. Prije sam to rekao. Kada mi želimo turiste, jednostavno, hoteli su tu, hajmo ih napuniti, pa i s prijateljima iz Kine.

  Tomáš Zdechovský (PPE). – Pane předsedající, já rozhodně tuto iniciativu vítám, a to z několika důvodů. Je důležité, aby probíhala nikoliv jenom ekonomická, ale zároveň i kulturní výměna mezi Evropskou unií a Čínou. Tato platforma pomůže nejen už zmiňovanému turistickému ruchu v méně známých oblastech a pomůže malým a středním podnikům, ale může také přivést dohromady různé instituce, které by se jinak nepotkaly. Univerzity, zástupce soukromého sektoru, může také přivést dohromady i lidi, kteří zde budou v budoucnu spolupracovat. Zároveň se tím zvednou zkušenosti a kvalifikace lidí pracujících v sektoru turismu.

Ať se nám to líbí nebo ne, Čína je a i nadále bude důležitým strategickým partnerem Evropské unie a je důležité uvědomit si, že tato iniciativa je pro Evropskou unii velmi důležitá i v tom, abychom pochopili, jak se čínský trh bude v budoucnosti chovat. A tím určitě nezmenšuji důraz Evropské unie na různá práva čínských občanů a tím si nemyslím, že by zde byl jakkoliv narušen apel na to, aby Čínská republika dodržovala lidská práva všech občanů Číny.

  Jozo Radoš (ALDE). – Gospodine predsjedniče, Europska godina kulturnog naslijeđa i zajednička Europsko-kineska godina turizma su dvije prilično različite manifestacije. Primjerice, obilježavanje Europsko-kineske godine turizma može donijeti znatne financijske, gospodarske koristi i ima čak i geopolitičke implikacije, što se za proslavu Europske godine kulturne baštine teško može reći.

Te dvije manifestacije će se i obilježavati na različite načine, zato me zapravo čudi prijedlog iz pitanja da se one objedine, ne vidim na koji način bi se te dvije manifestacije mogle objediniti. Očito je da promocija turizma može doprinijeti proslavi Europsko-kineske godine turizma, ali ne vidim kako bi to bilo obrnuto. No, svejedno podržavam onaj dio pitanja koji govori o tome da bi trebalo pronaći način da ove dvije manifestacije imaju sinergiju.

Zgłoszenia z sali

  Karol Karski (ECR). – Panie Przewodniczący! Dziękuję za udzielenie głosu. Oczywiście sprawa jest istotna. Natomiast jeśli spojrzymy na nią w sposób bardzo pragmatyczny, to należy ocenić tę inicjatywę realizowaną przez Komisję Europejską w sposób pozytywny. Nawet ci, którzy zwracają na nią uwagę z punktu widzenia praw człowieka, spójrzcie Państwo, że wymiana turystyczna między Europą a Chinami przyniesie to, iż Chińczycy będą przybywać do Europy, zapoznawać się z naszymi standardami ochrony praw człowieka, naszymi standardami demokracji. Będą widzieli nie tylko własne państwo. Będą widzieli nie tylko rozwiązania, które są w innych częściach świata, ale ten najwyższy, najlepszy system, który jest tutaj realizowany. Z drugiej strony, przyjazd Europejczyków do Chin spowoduje, iż będą tam nie tylko ludzie, którzy prowadzą biznesy z tym państwem, którzy są zainteresowani zyskiem i wyjazdem, którzy są zainteresowani kontaktami z władzami, ale normalni ludzie, których obecność tam będzie także gwarancją tego, że władze chińskie będą musiały w jakiś sposób zwracać uwagę na to, co robią na swoim własnym terytorium. Może wpływ nie będzie wielki, ale zapewne pewien pozytywny akcent również będzie wartością dodaną. Więc ja bym nie odmawiał całkowicie racji temu pytaniu, które stało się podstawą tej debaty. Ale jednocześnie chcę wskazać tutaj na pozytywne aspekty tej naszej dzisiejszej debaty i tej inicjatywy, która jest realizowana w relacjach między Unią a Chinami.

(Koniec zgłoszeń z sali)

  Phil Hogan, Member of the Commission. – Mr President, thank you to everyone who took part in this particular question. Can I emphasise on behalf of Commissioner Bieńkowska that these are two separate initiatives. One is about tourism, which is a decision that was made by President Juncker and Prime Minister Li on 12 July 2016 promoting the EU-China Tourism Year, and this decision was made one year before the decision to designate 2018 as the European Year of Cultural Heritage.

The decision that established the European Year of Cultural Heritage for 2018 was taken by the Council and the Parliament on 17 May this year. So the tourism dimension came one year earlier, and it was set up for the purpose of trying to encourage additional tourists and travellers to come into the European Union. While I listened to contributors here today, I got the impression that the European Union budget was promoting Chinese tourism. It is actually promoting European tourism. It’s about bringing more people into the European Union, not the other way round, so the question of human rights does not arise.

People have the freedom to travel, and we hope that visitors will come to the European Union and I am disappointed as some Members actually are trying to interpret this as some kind of an effort to say that Chinese travellers are not welcome. That is not the position of the European Union, and certainly not the position of the European Commission.

In relation to the European Year of Cultural Heritage, this is a particular initiative for 2018 that requires all of the various processes that we know well to be implemented. In September 2017 a call for proposals for heritage cooperation projects was launched under the Creative Europe Programme, with EUR 5 million allocated and the deadline is actually next week on the 22 November 2017, so people still have time to make applications on this cultural heritage initiative.

The European Year of Cultural Heritage is benefiting from many EU funding programmes which also support cultural heritage like Horizon 2020, COSME under the cultural tourism dimension, and Natura 2000. These are all programmes which will benefit from this particular fund.

As with other European years, the year of cultural heritage will be implemented through a series of initiatives and events at European level. National, regional and local levels are involved. It has nothing to do with promoting tourism or cultural tourism with China, it’s about promoting cultural heritage in the European Union at local, regional and national level. So it is very much a ‘bottoms-up’ approach or at national level, the year has been managed by national coordinators who were appointed by all 28 Member States. The Commission is also being assisted by a committee which comprises 35 representative civil society organisations that are active in the field of heritage, culture and youth. I welcome this particular programme very much and I hope that people will actually apply for it, but it has nothing to do with Chinese-European relations.

Finally, in relation to agriculture and the area of culture, the European Union and China are negotiating an agreement at the moment on geographical indications, which I am sure the House will welcome. Hopefully we will be able to reach agreement on this. This will promote European and Chinese culture around the issue of food and food heritage. I think that can only be beneficial for our rural areas.

I am glad to have the opportunity, on behalf of my colleague Commissioner Bieńkowska, to clarify these particular issues for Members today.

  Przewodniczący. – Zamykam debatę.