Key takeaways:
- Major decisions this autumn that will shape EU’s climate architecture for the coming decades.
- We’re watching what happens with policies that will affect travel and mountain and water system climate change preparedness.
- POW Europe’s Brand Advocacy Day II will bring brands, NGOs and EU policymakers together in Brussels on 10 September 2026 to coordinate the outdoor industry’s response to the autumn’s decisive policy moments.
The coming months will be decisive when it comes to EU climate and environment policy. Decisions about how we travel and how and how we safeguard the glaciers, snowpack and water systems that a warming world is already putting at risk, are all on the table this autumn. While POW can make sure that EU policymakers know what the outdoor community wants, we make the message louder if industry raises their voice, too.
What POW’s done for climate policy
Over the past months, POW Europe has been active on every file that matters to our community. We helped push for an ambitious 2040 climate target, which became EU law in April. We sent open letters to ministers across Europe. We submitted formal positions to European Commission public consultations on adapting to climate change, on enforcement of national climate plans and on what comes after 2030.
This is the foundation.
This autumn, the work continues with upcoming decisions on how we will travel in Europe and how prepared mountains and water systems are for a warming world. These decisions will help shape EU climate architecture for the coming decades.
Upcoming policy focus on travel
For the outdoor community, no policy area makes climate action feel more tangible than transport. For most of us, travelling to the places we love accounts for the biggest share of our holiday’s footprint. Even when we want to make more sustainable choices, flying still typically costs only a fraction of the price compared to taking the train.
This autumn, two major EU policy decisions are expected to play out.
First, during the spring, the EU Passenger Package was released. The package combines three pieces of legislation that aims to make booking train travel smoother, showcase emission comparisons to flying, enabling single-ticket bookings across rail operators from different countries and ensure passenger rights. The principle, outlined by the European Commission is “one journey, one ticket, full rights.”
The EU Passenger Package will start its debate soon in the EU Parliament and in the Council, with an update on the process expected during autumn 2026. POW Europe will be tracking it closely and engaging where the outdoor industry’s voice can credibly weigh in.
Second, the European Commission is expected to publish its VAT Package for Travel and Tourism later this year, and we might expect a continued VAT exemption for aviation. An exemption has no climate justification. The question of how rail and aviation are taxed sits at the heart of any serious effort to shift European mobility patterns.
Until the package is published we can't comment on specifics, but we are preparing now, building the alliances and the arguments so the outdoor industry can shape the debate the moment it opens.
POW’s Brand Advocacy Day in Brussels
While we’re working hard to make sure that the outdoor community’s voice is heard, we know that our voice will be louder if we do it together. Policymakers respond differently to businesses than to NGOs. A signed letter from a coalition of outdoor brands lands on a minister’s desk in a way that a campaign petition does not. Industry voices can help close a credibility gap that environmental organisations cannot close on their own.
That’s why, after the success of our first Brand Advocacy Day, we’re hosting our second event dedicated to showcasing how outdoor industry voices can make a difference with EU policies this autumn. This time Brand Advocacy Day will be at the heart of where EU policy decisions are made: in Brussels, at the EU parliament
This year, partners will hear directly from EU policymakers about the decisions they are currently navigating and the role they believe progressive business voices play in shaping them. The day will also include a refresher on how EU advocacy works, POW Europe’s strategic priorities and a focused look at where the outdoor industry’s voice can make the most impact this autumn.
If you work in the outdoor industry and would like to attend Brand Advocacy Day, please email Ben Aidan, ben@protectourwinters.eu.
Find out more about POW Europe’s advocacy work at advocacy.protectourwinters.eu.
Top image © POW Germany
