The business travel sector in Europe is getting organised and intends to make its voice heard at the highest level: this is the message sent by five major business travel associations, which have just approved the new European Network of Associations for Corporate Travel (ENACT). Alongside the AFTM and ACTE, two well-known players among French travel managers, the founding act brings together the Spanish AEGVE (La Asociacion de los Decisores en Viajes de Empresa), the Belgian BATM (Belgian Association of Travel Management) and the Dutch CORTAS (Corporate Travel Association). All these players were already involved last September in the European plea for reform of the Air Passenger Rights Regulation. However, the new ENACT is already open for business, since the founding document already states that "this network, each member of which carries the same weight regardless of its size or internal organisation, is open and will therefore be extended to all European associations representing those responsible for business travel within companies who wish to participate in these actions, without any particular conditions".
ENACT: "the voice of reason
Presented as a "common and open platform with the aim of promoting the business travel industry and acting as an advocacy and action group with a single voice to the European authorities", the European Network of Associations for Corporate Travel (ENACT) is to take the form of a "partnership to jointly represent the interests of their members at European level in an official format for the good of the industry and to be the voice of reason with dignity and respect for the highest ethical standards". With this in mind, ENACT intends to draw on each of the specific skills contributed by its national members, while maintaining a constant European watch punctuated by "very regular" meetings. This pooling of strengths and harmonisation of approaches make sense in the current context, with the next European elections in May already on the horizon: a date already targeted by ENACT, which could then embark on its first joint actions.
