12/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - Functional airspace blocks. The Commission has toughened its tone regarding member states' delay in establishing nine airspace blocks by the deadline of December 2012. Member states are currently to present their action plans and their timetables for setting those blocks in place, not just on paper. By September, they should all have submitted the appropriate documents. On this basis, the Commission will judge whether or not it will have to trigger infringement proceedings. As things stand, the blocks that have made the most progress are the Swedish-Danish and the British-Irish blocks. The least advanced countries in this respect are Italy, Cyprus, Malta, Spain and Portugal. (MD/transl.jl)