Giuridico e Amministrativo

🛫 Paris airport workers' unions called off a strike planned for today after reaching an agreement with Aeroports de Paris (Adp) just 9 days before the Olympics. The dispute was over "extra pay" due to increased workload for the upcoming Paris Olympics (July 26-August 11) and Paralympics (August 28-September 8). Adp, employing 570,000 people across Charles de Gaulle-Roissy, Orly, and Le Bourget airports, agreed to certain financial incentives. Paris expects 15.3 million visitors for the Games, 90% being domestic, half from the Île de France region.

💰 In Italy, the 2023 fiscal calendar shifted the tax payment deadlines from June 30 to July 1 due to the former falling on a Sunday. Travel agencies and tour operators face a congested period with the usual monthly VAT and withholding payments due on the 16th, combined with income tax balance payments for 2023 and the first 2024 advance payment due on July 31. The newly introduced Biennial Preventive Agreement alters the deadline for eligible parties to the month's end. Italian tax authorities are accelerating compliance document issuance, including presumed undeclared POS earnings alerts, to manage the August break. Adjusting the fiscal year-end to September 30 or August 31 could help companies avoid summer tax bottlenecks.

📃 FTI Voyages, subsidiary of German-based FTI Touristik, is now in administrative liquidation as declared by the Strasbourg court, with the sale open until July 22 but no buyers emerging. The company proactively canceled all bookings up to 2025, affecting thousands of clients, as confirmed by General Manager Ludovic Rigel. Bookings made via agencies with full or partial payments for GDS-based or low-cost flights packages are not canceled.

💸 Lufthansa, responding to downward earnings revisions and an anticipated negative second quarter, initiates immediate cost-cutting measures including a 25% reduction in administrative material expenses, a 10% cut in marketing expenses, and a hiring freeze on vacant positions with a reduction of vacation days until the end of the year. CEO Jens Ritter outlined the areas affected in a letter to employees, citing stagnant ticket prices, a slow recovery in business travel, and increased personnel costs due to contract renewals. Further measures may follow.

🚩 In Spain, the WTTC condemns riots against tourists in Barcelona, Cadiz, and the Balearics, urging local authorities to manage tourism flows better and involve local communities. Virginia Messina, Senior Vice President of the WTTC, emphasizes the need for tourists' experiences not to impact local residents' lives. The WTTC advocates for policies to distribute tourism in lesser-known destinations and regulate tourist accommodations with reinvestments in local areas.

💰 Eu Travel Tech, representing European tech companies, accuses Google of anticompetitive practices, claiming Google could favor its own services in search results. Emmanuel Mounier, the association's secretary general, alleges these practices continue despite previous contestations, highlighting Google's control over 90% of online searches. The association demands decisive action from the European Commission on this complex issue.

🏖️ The "Cuore Valle d’Aosta - Vallée d’Aoste," a symbol of the region's tourism, is now a registered trademark. Regional tourism councilor Giulio Grosjacques announced the completion of the registration by the Italian Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy. The logo, which embodies the essence of the region's offerings, originated from a 2004 international contest won by Narcisi & Siva of Milan out of 350 submissions.

🏦 Celebrating the 75th anniversary of Italy-Indonesia bilateral relations, a new center for tourist visa applications has opened in Jakarta. Managed by Vfs Global, the center also serves travelers from East Timor and aims to promote Italy's culture, language, art, science, and made-in-Italy products. Italian Ambassador to Indonesia, Benedetto Latteri, highlights the growing number of Indonesian and East Timorese citizens traveling to Italy for tourism, business, work, or religious reasons.

💸 The EU Regulation 1624 of 2024, effective as of yesterday, sets a cash transaction limit of €10,000 across European countries. Italy's current limit remains €5,000 for all types of transfers, which will continue after notifying the European Commission by October 10, 2024. The €10,000 limit doesn't apply to private individuals not acting in a professional capacity. Member states must enforce this with appropriate measures and sanctions. Full EU-wide application is mandated by July 10, 2027.

📌 In Florence, the Tuscan Regional Administrative Court (Tar della Toscana) overturned a ban on short-term rentals like Airbnb in the UNESCO area, following an appeal by consumer rights organization Codacons. The previous restriction was deemed no longer comparable to the current situation after the approval of the city's operational plan. The ruling declared the appeal inadmissible, ending the dispute on the matter.