Protecting Europe’s EXPERIENCE Sector: EEA Engages EU Policymakers in Brussels

On 25 February, the European Experience Alliance (EEA) held an institutional engagement in Brussels to bring the perspectives of Europe’s cultural and tourism institutions directly to EU policymakers - an important step in strengthening our advocacy and policy outreach.

The EEA delegation met with the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT) to present our latest study, “The Rise of Pseudo Pages: Threats to Tourism and Consumer Trust – How the Biggest Digital Monopoly Fails to Preserve Safety and Online Integrity.” The study highlights the growing problem of fraudulent “pseudo pages” that impersonate official cultural institutions online—misleading consumers, diverting revenue from legitimate organisations, and eroding trust across Europe’s tourism and cultural sectors. Through concrete case studies, we outlined the real-world impact and underscored the need for robust enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA), including effective prevention of impersonation and swift removal of fraudulent content.

The discussion with DG CONNECT was constructive, and representatives reaffirmed the European Commission’s commitment to ensuring compliance with the DSA. The EEA also stressed the importance of stronger measures to ensure Very Large Search Engines implement meaningful mitigation mechanisms and thorough risk assessments.

In the afternoon, we met with several Members of the European Parliament from across the EU - including Romania, Portugal, and Ireland - to share our work and exchange views on the challenges facing Europe’s cultural and tourism sectors. It was a valuable opportunity to raise awareness of our study and discuss where EU-level cooperation could help, particularly around fair competition, the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and consumer protection—all central to a healthy and sustainable tourism economy.

Thank you to the MEPs and their teams, and to DG CONNECT, for the time and engagement. We look forward to continuing the dialogue in the months ahead as we work to protect Europe’s cultural and tourism sectors online and uphold consumer trust across the digital ecosystem.