Luxembourg, 10/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 10 October, the joint undertaking set up to complete the SESAR project (new generation European air traffic management system) got the go-ahead from the Transport Council to continue its activities to the end of 2024. European ministers also confirmed a €600 million envelope (subject to agreement on the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2014-2020) for the next seven years. The European Commissioner for Transport, Siim Kallas, said that he was satisfied that the core elements had been confirmed by European ministers. Nonetheless, a number of delegations expressed a few misgivings. Denmark, for example, is afraid that the joint undertaking may become permanent, the Czech Republic asked to be “appropriately informed” about the project, Spain has highlighted other funding methods that could be used and Poland asked for the needs of peripheral countries to be taken into account.
A new air traffic management system should already be in place at the end of the decade, but research activities have to be carried out first in order to finalise the master plan for deployment. (MD/trans.fl)