Negotiations between representatives of the European Parliament and the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, ahead of the next Conciliation Committee on air passengers’ rights, made progress on several points on Tuesday 19 May, despite sticking points over the amounts of compensation for passengers (see EUROPE 13870/6).
A provisional Interinstitutional Agreement was reached on a number of provisions: arrangements for cancellations and delays, the definition of ‘extraordinary circumstances’, the scope of the regulation, check-in and the boarding pass. The co-legislators also examined no-show fees and hand luggage.
The three key measures in the text, namely delay thresholds, compensation amounts and pre-filled forms, remain the main points to be negotiated at the next meeting of the Conciliation Committee, scheduled for Tuesday 2 June.
Negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU Council had reached agreement on the form those forms should take (see EUROPE 13853/15). They must now agree on the arrangements for sending them to passengers, in particular within what deadlines.
According to a spokesperson for the Cyprus Presidency, yesterday’s negotiations “took place in a constructive atmosphere and resulted in significant convergence on a number of points”. He said he was confident of the possibility of reaching a “positive, balanced and fruitful” result during the forthcoming exchanges.
While negotiations continue, more than 30 members of the European Regions Airline Association (ERA) last week called, in an open letter, for a “pause” in the revision of the regulation in order to reassess its effects in the light of rising aviation fuel prices.
“The revised rules would impose compensation delay thresholds and rates that ignore these constraints [of regional routes], costs that can far exceed the total revenue of a flight. At a time of soaring fuel prices and geopolitical uncertainty, this could simply push us to breaking point”, the signatories to the letter wrote.
However, according to our information, the conciliation procedure cannot be put on hold while a new impact assessment is carried out. If adopted, the new rules would not apply to airlines until next year. (Original version in French by Juliette Verdes)