Negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council of the EU met for the third time (trilogue) on the evening of Monday 1 December to discuss air passenger rights. After a round of discussions and a break during which the MEPs consulted with each other, they decided to have a break in the negotiations.
“We saw that there is no chance with the current Presidency to reach an agreement, not because they didn’t want it, but because of the fact that the EU Council didn’t grant any alternatives and any compromises and any flexibility and mandate to at least partially adopt some of our proposals” explained rapporteur Andrey Novakov (EPP, Bulgarian) the following day at the European Parliament Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN).
The European Parliament remained firm on its positions, while the Danish Presidency was unable to agree a new mandate with the Member States, leaving no room for negotiation on either side (see EUROPE 13762/5).
“We had hoped that the constructive atmosphere of last night’s trilogue would have been enough to convince the Parliament to continue exploring possible landing zones on this important file”, said the Presidency. “Nevertheless, we hope that our negotiations with Parliament can be an important step towards an agreement at a later stage”.
Denmark had suggested using this trilogue as a stepping stone for an additional trilogue scheduled for Friday 12 December. Issues addressed included the scope, the threshold for compensation in the event of delay or cancellation, pre-filled forms, extraordinary circumstances and hand luggage. The EU Council indicated certain additional flexibilities, for example for people with reduced mobility, but this was not enough.
Mr Novakov tried to see the positive side: “We didn’t accept terms that will make the situation worse than it is in the moment, which was the case with the EU Council proposal” (see EUROPE 13729/1). His colleague, Virginijus Sinkevičius (Greens/EFA, Lithuanian), reiterated the European Parliament's disagreement with the procedure (see EUROPE 13640/16): “It wasn't our choice to be at the situation that we are in. It was the Council that forced us into a second reading.”
The European Parliament will adopt a new report in January, which will include the progress of the negotiations (see EUROPE 13757/10). (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)