518 TOURISM LAW IN EUROPE Just as in other EU Member States, there is, in the Netherlands, discussions whether claims for refunds must also be covered. In line with the PTD (and Dutch Law) claims for reimbursement are currently not guaranteed. If an organiser become insolvent, there is a risk that many travellers would not receive any refund at all, as their claims for refunds against organisers are not protected. This was one of the reasons that, in March 2020 (when COVID-19 was declared a pandemic), the branch organisation ANVR and the largest guarantee fund in the Netherlands (SGR) decided to bring vouchers temporarily under the SGR guarantee in case the holiday was cancelled because of unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances due to COVID-19. This gap is recognised in the recommendations of the European Commission37. In line with the recommendations of the European Commission SGR guaranteed vouchers for a period of one year after issuing. Almost simultaneously, the Dutch government provided a loan of maximum 400 million euros to SGR to lend on to organisers so that they could pay back the vouchers to travellers in time (within one year). By the end of 2021, there will be for about 225 million euros lent to organisers and travel agents. 37 Commission Recommendation (EU) 2020/648 of 13 May 2020 on vouchers offered to passengers and travellers as an alternative to reimbursement for cancelled package travel and transport services in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
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