Brussels, 18/12/2000 (Agence Europe) - On Monday, the European Commission presented the report by the High Level Group on reform of air traffic control in Europe, to be presented to the Transport Council on Wednesday and Thursday, in order to hear the ministers' initial views.
This report will be followed, end of January, by a Communication specifying the priorities, and in April the first legislative proposals in view of the implementation of the first decision in 2005. It presents four main guidelines: 1) the establishment of a true common airspace, by using the expertise of Eurocontrol allied to the binding nature of the European legislative process, 2) the creation of a structure common to civilians and that military for the management of air traffic, in the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), 3) the development of common standards and procedures, 4) the creation of a European air traffic controllers diploma.
Gathering together civilian and military experts responsible for air traffic in the Member States, in Switzerland and in Norway, the High-Level Group had the task of identifying the problems causing delays and to propose solution. Despite the efforts made these last years, "one flight in five is still delayed by more than 20 minutes on average", recalls the Commission in a press release. According to Eurocontrol, recalled Commissioner Loyola de Palacio when presenting the report to the press, the flight delays are due for: 1) 20% of the case, to the management of airlines, 2) 20-30% of the cases, the management of the airports, 3) 40%, the management of air traffic, 4) 4 to 5% the weather.
Jointly managing the European airspace: This area is presently fragmented between nine control centres, between countries, inside the same States, and between civil and military areas, underlined Commissioner de Palacio. The report favours as a result a common management of the airspace, which would start with the creation of a common space in the high airspace. This sketch of "single skies" will be placed at around 29,000 feet, an altitude that remains to be specified, admitted the Commissioner.
The reform of European legislation on the management of landing and takeoff slots is important in this framework. The Commission has presented to the Transport Council last October questions to the Member States that for the moment are hesitating before answering. "I hope to be able to table a proposal within a few months", indicated the Commissioner.
The creation of a strong Community regulator. The European organisation for air navigation safety, Eurocontrol, which gathers together around thirty European States, "has brought improvements, but they are insufficient as the decisions are not binding", underlined Mrs de Palacio when feeling that the "EU must act faster to manage European airspace without breaks and administrative barriers". The aim will thus be to use the Community decision-making mechanisms to define the binding standards, thanks to the authority of the European Court of Justice. The EU will entrust Eurocontrol with presenting standards from circulation, to define the routes, etc.
However, to do this, accession to the European Community and as such to Eurocontrol, must be accelerated, underlined Mrs de Palacio. Though the accession is always blocked by the dispute between the United Kingdom and Spain over the application of European airspace legislation to Gibraltar.
Progressively establish a common management of air traffic between military and civil. The aim is to introduce more flexibility in the management of the military airspace, which covers in some Member States, such as France, close to 60% of the airspace. The Commissioner suggested to establish a common structure in the framework of Common Foreign and Security Policy. The EU could base itself on the German system, where the management of airspace is ensured jointly by the military and civilians, suggested Mr de Palacio.
Develop compatible and coherent standards and procedures for the navigation systems and the management of air traffic. The diversity of standards for the administrative management from one country to another contributes to the present confusion in the European sky. Furthermore, the increasingly divergent industrial interests pose problems of technical compatibility, underlined the Commissioner. The report suggests to strengthen the interoperability of systems by defining the common technical and operation criteria.
Coordinated human resources policy. The present shortage of 800 to 1,600 controllers for a workforce of 15,000 people and the situation should get worse since a third of the present staff should retire by 2010, indicated the Commissioner. In order to plug the shortage of controllers, the report suggests to favour their mobility with the creation of a European controller diploma and to develop the social dialogue.
We know exactly what needs to be done in order to create a genuine single sky. But the real work is only just beginning: I hope to be able to submit an action programme to the Council as soon as possible in order to launch the measures which will make it possible to reconcile the expansion of air traffic with reliable timetables and air safety", announced Commissioner de Palacio. The Stockholm Summit (March) should take the first decision on the military aspects of the issue, she hoped. However numerous political obstacles remain, she said, while notably citing the attachment to sovereignty and the need to maintain military capabilities intact.