Brussels, 07/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - At the end of two weeks of top-level negotiations during the 38th General Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), European Commissioner, Siim Kallas, stated on Friday 4 October that, “the EU can take pride in our role in the achievements in all areas”.
Although the 192 members only meet up every three years for their General Assembly, the Commissioner explained that this Assembly had set the agenda for world aviation for years to come. Progress has obviously been achieved in the field of the environment, especially so in Montreal, but over the past few weeks, agreements had also been concluded in other key areas for European industry.
The EU, similarly to other regions in the world, is reviewing its air traffic management. Over the long term, different approaches could prove to be incompatible. Although air-traffic control is an industry worth €1 billion to the EU and the region is at the cutting edge in this area, the ICAO has given its support to a global air traffic management system, which would “accommodate” European standards.
Another crucial area for the EU is competition, particularly in extremely high growth areas such as the Gulf and Asia. These are markets where European carriers should be able to have access but where the EU is concerned about state subsidies being granted. A resolution in this regard was adopted by the ICAO, which recommends the UN to update free market guidelines. The organisation is also ready to make progress towards a conclusion of multilateral agreements to liberalise airline property and control.
In the security field, the EU has managed to get the ICAO to take into account the importance of taking action at a regional level, as is the case in Europe, so that this region, like North America, is the safest aviation area in the world. The ICAO is therefore expected to promote this regional approach but it also adopted a global level agenda for monitoring and management of safety. In the areas of terrorism and security, emphasis was placed on air cargoes and enhanced international rules. A mutual recognition mechanism was adopted by the ICAO, which had also been called for by the EU. The different countries will therefore recognise the equivalence of all the security measures based on recognised standards. (MD/transl.fl)