Brussels, 19/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is not fully satisfied with the efforts made by member states to make air travel less costly and enhance results. National performance plans have been validated by the Commission but a considerable number of countries will have to put on a spurt, the Commission states, if they wish to make a contribution to the objectives set by the EU for the next two years.
The plan for improving performance is the “cornerstone of the Single European Sky. Air travellers should benefit from a more punctual, greener and more cost-efficient service”, explains European Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas. The plan establishes European objectives for the years 2012-2014 in order to improve traffic management (security, capacity, environment, cost-efficiency). All this should result in substantial savings - €1 billion by reducing delays, or €2.4 billion taxes less to be paid by passengers, for example. However, European indicative percentages are not worth anything if they are not backed up by a concrete effort on the part of member states. That is why the EU27 must also prepare their own national performance plans regarding capacity and cost-efficiency. The latter have been endorsed by the Commission, which nonetheless sets out a number of recommendations, considering that some member states could do better, for example: the United Kingdom, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Romania and Sweden, which have not planned to make sufficient effort to contribute to reducing costs. France - and also Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Greece and Poland - should make progress in terms of capacity, while only Spain and Portugal find grace in the eyes of the Commission, which believes these last two countries have made “major” efforts in terms of cost-efficiency. The Association of European Airlines (AEA) is on the same wavelength as the Commission on this, disappointed by the lack of ambition shown by member states for contributing to European Single Sky. When contacted by Agence Europe, the AEA general manager, Gert Sciot, summed up by saying that “member states' plans do not comply with the objectives set out by the EU for now. In some countries, there has been no progress at all, for thousands of reasons”. The AEA is said to be of the opinion that the Commission must increase pressure on member states. Commissioner Kallas promises one thing: “The Commission will monitor performance closely to ensure that member states' plans are delivered”. (MD/transl.jl)