In a joint statement published on Tuesday 26 May, 34 member associations of the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) called for the future regulation on air passenger rights to be strengthened.
Discussions on this text, which is the subject of a conciliation procedure (see EUROPE 13871/20), are moving in a direction that is unfavourable to consumers, according to BEUC.
“At a time when passengers still face frequent delays, cancellations, and complex, often ineffective complaint procedures, current discussions on the revision of the Air Passenger Rights Regulation are moving in this risky direction”, the organisation warned.
BEUC is calling for the effects of geopolitical instability not to be shifted onto consumer rights, and is making six proposals to that end. In particular, the organisation is asking for the current compensation thresholds and amounts to be maintained, and for the definition of ‘extraordinary circumstances’ to be aligned with EU Court of Justice case law. BEUC also wants to ensure that the text is enforced effectively through pre-filled forms.
These three issues – compensation, extraordinary circumstances and pre-filled forms – make up the ‘triangle’ of inseparable measures on which the Member States have so far failed to reach an agreement. The next meeting of the Conciliation Committee will take place on 2 June.
Read the joint statement: https://aeur.eu/f/m1i (Original version in French by Juliette Verdes)