After two and a half years of discussion, negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union reached, on Tuesday 6 March, an Interinstitutional Agreement on revisions to the ‘Single European Sky’ (‘SES 2+’) framework (see EUROPE 13364/10) and the regulation establishing the ‘European Aviation Safety Agency’ (EASA) (see EUROPE 13305/7).
“Today’s deal signifies a shift towards efficiency and sustainability in air traffic management”, said the European Parliament rapporteur on ‘SES 2+’, Marian-Jean Marinescu (EPP, Romanian), in a press release. “The current nationalistic airspace architecture hampers progress, leading to longer flights, increased emissions and unnecessary costs. It’s high time to finally prioritise efficiency over nationalism, to pave the way for safer, more cost-effective, and environmentally friendly air travels in Europe”, he added.
The provisional agreement introduces performance plans for air navigation services to improve the network management of EU airspace. These plans include binding targets and incentives to make flights more efficient and environmentally friendly.
An independent advisory Performance Review Board (PRB) will be set up to help the European Commission and Member States take decisions on the implementation of these plans. It will be established as a stable and permanent entity and financed by the EU budget.
The National Supervisory Authorities (NSAs) and the Commission will jointly assess the performance of air navigation services, in accordance with the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality.
Climate performance and market openness
As the MEPs had wanted, air navigation services and network management will have to contribute to climate neutrality. This text “will enable major progress to be made in reducing CO2 emissions from the aviation sector and will also give Member States more tools to limit the nuisance generated by aeronautical activity”, said the Belgian Minister for Mobility, Georges Gilkinet, in a press release.
The Commission will adopt EU performance targets on capacity, cost efficiency, climate and environmental factors for air navigation services. The performance of these services against these targets will be reviewed at least every three years.
The Commission will also have to carry out a study to help define how charges levied on airspace users (airlines or private aircraft operators), could encourage them to be more environmentally friendly.
The MEPs also won their case concerning the possibility for air traffic service providers to procure other air navigation services, such as communication, meteorological or aeronautical information services, under market conditions.
The provisional agreement stipulates that the Member States shall designate the NSA to assess the compliance of air navigation service providers. These will have to comply with economic requirements, such as financial viability and organisational structure, in order to be certified by the NSA. Providers and the NSA may be part of the same organisation provided they are functionally separated and meet independence requirements.
It will also be possible for Member States to merge economic and safety oversight functions in the same administrative entity. This solution cuts red tape and adapts to existing organisational models.
The provisional agreement also strengthens the network perspective by adding new network functions and by giving the current network manager, Eurocontrol, additional, clearly delineated tasks. Eurocontrol will thus be better able to contribute to the sustainable and efficient use of airspace.
The provisional agreement must now be approved by the EU Council and the European Parliament in plenary session before being formally adopted. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)