5. 3 Proposal for a Directive on Package Travel and Assisted Travel Arrangements After 23 years, on 9 July, 2013, the European Commission published a long-standing proposal for a Directive on package travel and assisted travel arrangements, repealing current Council Directive 90/314/EEC (hereinafter the “Draft Directive”). The Directive should help enhance consumer protection and achieve the objectives set by the EU under Article 114 of the Treaty, i.e., among other things, the functioning internal market and a high level of consumer protection. One of the major arguments behind the Draft Directive is the applicability of the Directive which should eliminate bypassing of implementing regulations, reaction to market changes (the digital economy – for consumers the Internet has become an increasingly important medium to purchase travel services), enhancing consumer rights, better functioning of the internal market, creating fair conditions for economic entities, fully or partially removing a legal grey zone in the EU Member States, and preventing unfair competition. The good news is that many of the provisions of the proposed Directive should be transposed to the national legislation systems in full harmonisation. It means that within the framework of transposition no variation from the Directive will be admitted which should result in even closer harmonisation of legislation in this area. Consumers will know the situation in their home country and can stand assured that similar rules are applied in other EU Member States; it should enhance cross-border trading. The Ministry of Regional Development as the guarantor of the proposed Directive prepared, in accordance with the internal regulations, a framework position of the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic as most of other EU Member States appreciates the proposed Directive whose primary purpose is to enhance consumer rights of the EU citizens going on holidays by means of modernising the EU rules for organised travel packages. It is clear that the Directive will require extensive implementation measures in applicable Czech legal regulations. The MRD has regularly participated in meetings of the Consumer Protection Working Group on the Directive revision. 5. 4 Statistics of the Administrative Agenda Pursuant to Act No. 159/1999 Coll. The below table shows development of travel agency data (2009–2013), i.e. numbers of active travel agencies, numbers of suspended licenses to operate a travel agency and numbers of dissolved travel agencies. The Ministry also gives the numbers of issued affirmative and negative positions on concession applications.