5. 1 Consumer Protection One of the activities of the Tourism Department of the Ministry of Regional Development is administrative agenda related to application of Act No. 159/1999 Coll., on certain conditions of business activities in tourism and amending Act No. 40/1964 Coll., the Civil Code, as amended (hereinafter the “Act No. 159/1999 Coll.”), and Act No. 455/1991 Coll., on Trade Licensing, as amended (the “Trade Licensing Act”). It is an act which transposes applicable EU legislation and sets the terms under which travel agencies and tour operators may provide their services to the public. It defines obligations of travel agencies and tour operators, the terms for the issuance of a concession deed, statutory guarantee insurance against travel agency’s bankruptcy, and the scope of activity of the Mountain Rescue Service. The Czech Government approved amended Act No. 159/1999 Coll. last year. The main reasons behind submission of the amendment include delayed revision of the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on package travel and assisted travel arrangements, amending Regulation (EC) No. 2006/2004 and Directive 2011/83/EU and repealing Council Directive 90/314/EEC, and the need for streamlining of a business practice of travel agencies and tour operators. The Ministry has a long-term task of supporting the development of business environment in tourism. One of the instruments should be implementation of the revised directive on package travel and assisted travel arrangements which will repeal the existing directive. The new directive should significantly contribute to better consumer protection and streamline the conditions of business undertaking in tourism on the single EU market within the framework of economic competition, in order to achieve legal certainty in tourism. Transposition of the directive to the Czech law should ensure fair competition terms for business owners without inadequate regulatory burden. 5. 2 Amended Act No. 159/1999 Coll. On 15 May, 2013, the Czech Government adopted a government bill, amending Act No. 159/1999 Coll., on certain conditions of business activities in the field of tourism and on amendment to Act No. 40/1964 Coll., Civil Code, as amended, and Act No. 455/1991 Coll., on Trade Licensing (the Trade Licensing Act), as amended. On 12 June, 2013, at its 54th session, the House of Deputies of the Czech Parliament read government bill No. 159/1999 Coll. as item No. 47, parliamentary print No. 1042, in the 1st reading. The 1st reading of the government bill in the House of Deputies passed without debate. Subsequently, the government bill should have been read by the Public Administration and Regional Development Committee and by the House of Deputies in the 2nd reading. No such reading occurred because the House of Deputies was dissolved. The bill was submitted by the Ministry of Regional Development in accordance with the 2012 schedule of law-making activities of the Government and adopted by resolution No. 941 of the Czech Government on 14 December, 2011. The first and foremost objective of the proposed bill was to introduce, as fast as possible, such consumer protection measures that would induce change in the statutory insurance of travel agencies against bankruptcy. Other amendments to the proposed bill were aimed at further clarification of the statutory guarantee insurance against travel agency’s bankruptcy, raising awareness of consumers of who was the organiser of a travel package sold by a retailer, making the licensing regime more strict for travel agencies, clarification of legislation pertaining to administrative bodies overseeing the work of travel agencies and tour operators, and introduction of administrative sanctions. As a novelty, travel agencies will have to keep records of the numbers of travel packages sold. The amended act should affect namely consumers (travel agencies’ and tour operators’ clients). The proposed measures should enhance their protection in the event of a travel agency’s bankruptcy and improve the quality of information that they receive. Travel agencies and tour operators were also among the affected parties. The list of parties affected by the bill includes also insurers providing insurance against bankruptcy to travel agencies.