Brussels, 11/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - Against a backdrop of complaints from air traffic controllers and Franco-German dissent, European Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas hopes to speed up reform of air traffic control and give fresh impetus to the Single European Sky (SES), a sort of “mirage in the desert”. Given the continued fragmentation of the European sky and the fact that European airports are close to saturation point, the Commission is kicking into gear with the SES2+ package, and is proposing to put some order into the organisation of air traffic control, support services, and setting of performance objectives. It also confirms imminent infringement proceedings regarding the functional airspace blocks (FABs)
In Strasbourg on Tuesday 11 June, Kallas presented a new raft of reforms in the aviation sector, this time on the proposed Single European Sky which is losing speed, although its full implementation could bring about substantial savings for the EU27. The commissioner argued that it is not the basic idea that is undergoing change and that changes being made are only modest ones. Arguing that EU airlines and passengers have for the past ten years been faced with reductions in services and missed deadlines on the way to the SES, Kallas decided to “tighten up the nuts of the system so that it can withstand greater pressure (Ed.: twice as many flights envisaged in the next decades) and deliver ambitious reforms even in a difficult economic context” (our translation). This new package amends the four regulations that make up the SES as well as the rules relevant to the European Aviation Safety Agency.
Support services. The most controversial point, which provoked strikes among air traffic controllers in Europe the same day, is no doubt the liberalisation of support services, namely meteorology, aeronautical information, communication, navigation and surveillance. Once these functions are separated, competition could bring down the cost of traffic management costs by 20% through their being subject to tendering procedure. It is not a matter of privatisation, said Commissioner Kallas, who, on the contrary, sees this could mean new business opportunities and the use of new technologies. The trade unions, however, fear jobs will be lost. The European Commission's proposals rule out air traffic control as such, which is a “natural monopoly”, the Commission says.
Surveillance authorities and Eurocontrol. Nonetheless, a specific measure applies here. The SES2+ package proposes separation between the air traffic control operators and their regulator. All too often the authorities supposed to be supervising the operators are dependent on them as they lack resources. Provisions of the package provide on one hand legal, organisational and budgetary separation of the national surveillance authorities from control organisations. On the other hand, the SES2+ proposal provides for a stable funding channel to ensure the financial independence of those national authorities. This should also improve surveillance and aviation security, the Commission says.
In addition, the network manager, Eurocontrol should be strengthened in order to provide a dozen new services to the smaller control bodies and also at local or regional levels. By becoming the service provider for service providers, the Commission hopes to bring about large scale savings in the sector.
Performance objectives and FABs. The European Commission has adopted a tougher tone regarding performance objectives also (security, environment, capacity, economic efficiency), and the establishment of nine FABs supposed to replace the 27 national patchworks from last December. While member states are gradually diluting the performance objectives, the Commission is giving itself more responsibility for fixing these objectives, making them adaptable to suit the service providers and strengthening the independence of the performance evaluation body. With regard to FABs, the Commission wants to put an end to the purely administrative exercise and political games. It now recommends industrial partnerships. Also, the commissioner has confirmed he is prepared to launch infringement proceedings against member states that have not respected the deadline for setting up FABs, i.e. the vast majority. Letters of notification have already been sent, with, in some cases, resumption of work, the commissioner stated.
The French and German ministers for transport, Frédéric Cuvillier and Peter Ramsauer, are said to have informed the commissioner by letter of their reticence towards the new package. The commissioner has played down the criticism, saying: “The ministers agree as to the aim. They do not object to SES but to the way of going about it, sometimes due to historic differences”. Debate in the Council and Parliament is expected to begin in July. (MD/transl.jl)