EU Auditors conduct online survey as part of their on-going passenger rights audit

The European Court of Auditors is currently conducting an audit on passenger rights in the EU. An online survey to gauge citizens’ understanding of their rights when travelling and to gather information about their experiences is part of this audit. The auditors have also published a background briefing paper on passenger rights in the EU.

The auditors are currently examining whether EU passenger rights are protected and enforced effectively, and whether the European Commission has properly monitored the implementation of these rights in the Member States and reacted to any problems which have arisen. They will also carry our audit visits in ten Member States (the Czech Republic, France, Finland, Greece, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain), where they will meet officials and relevant stakeholders and assess implementation on the ground.

“The real test of passenger rights is whether you get the help you need when things go wrong”, says George Pufan, the Member of the European Court of Auditors responsible for the audit. “We hope fellow-Europeans will be willing to share their experiences, good as well as bad, to provide insights for our audit”.

Anyone with experience of travelling as a passenger by plane, waterborne transport, bus/coach or rail within the EU during the last two years is invited to take part in an online survey, which can be found at bit.ly/ECAPassengerSurvey. It should take no more than 10 minutes to complete and is available in all EU languages. Responses will be treated in the strictest confidence.

For those with a particular interest in EU passenger rights legislation, the auditors have also published an audit brief which provides some background information based on preparatory work undertaken before the start of an audit. The audit brief is available on the ECA website (www.eca.europa.eu).