Strasbourg, 16/01/2001 (Agence Europe) - With the adoption, on Tuesday, of the report by the Greek MEP, Konstantinos Hatzidakis, the European Parliament gave an opinion in favour of the ratification of the international convention of Montreal on paying indemnities to passengers in the event of air disasters, delays and the loss of luggage. The convention adopted on 28 May 1999 will replace the Warsaw convention, adopted over 70 years ago, when Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic for the very first time. It increases the ceilings for compensation by adjusting them to the standards already applied de facto in civil aviation, with: - unlimited responsibility in the case of death or injury to passengers; - responsibility up to around EUR 6,200 in the case of damage to passengers due to delays; - liability amounting to EUR 1,490 in the event of loss of luggage or damaged luggage.
As the rapporteur and chairman of the EP transport committee recalls, the European Commission has proposed an amendment to the current European regulation on the compensation of passengers in order to take the Montreal convention into account. The regulation will be examined in the context of the report by Marieke Sanders-ten Holte, which is under preparation.