Brussels, 22/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - In December, the European Commission is to present a proposal for accession of the European Union as such to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), it was announced by François Lamoureux, Director General for Transport at the Commission. During a hearing on Wednesday before the European Parliament's Transport Committee, François Lamoureux was highly critical of the EU's "relative impotence" in the multilateral framework, failing any real coordination between Member States which are the only ones to represent the EU in international bodies. "It is anachronistic that the Commission should only have a minor role at the ICAO or IMO", he remarked. While the United States has "extraordinary weight" in these organisations, the Member States only practice "loose coordination", as shown by negotiations on air safety during the last ICAO general assembly. The problem, Mr Lamoureux noted, is that "unlike the requests of the Transport Council, the IACO General Assembly did not deal with the subject of safety" and that the United States is developing a "very important body for safety regulations", which could force "our airline companies to conform to two series of divergent European and American rules, which will have a cost in terms of competitiveness". The United States are federalising, that is, withdrawing control of security activities from the private sector. This is also a fundamental debate for the EU, said Mr Lamoureux.
United States/Japan/Open-Sky: Mr Lamoureux again attacked the attitude of the Member States that sign bilateral air agreements with the United States, giving more rights to American companies on European time slots than European companies have in the United States. These agreements block the restructuring of the air sector in Europe since the companies would lose their rights in the United States if they merged, he repeated. He ruled out the possibility of withdrawing the complaint filed by the Commission before the Court of Justice against such bilateral agreements, a condition posed by the Member Sates in Council to possibly grant the Commission a negotiating brief for an EU/US Open Sky Areement. Nothing proves that the Member Sates would adopt such a mandate if the complaint were withdrawn, he remarked. He also attacked the bilateral Open Sky agreements concluded with Japan, remarking that European supporters would probably go through American companies to attend the World Cup in Japan, since, under the terms of the agreements, European companies only have 160 slots in Tokyo, as opposed to 680 for the United States.
United States/maritime security: The United States is requesting greater cooperation with the EU in international organisations on the safety of passengers on cruise ships, the Director General for Transport said, adding that Commissioner Loyola de Palacio and the US Secretary for Transport, Norman Mineta, have agreed to create a working group to ensure coordination of position during the IMO general assembly to be held in London from 19 to 30 November.
United States/hushkits/environment: Further to the agreement concluded at the ICAO on aircraft noise, Mr Lamoureux hoped the Commission would propose a directive next week on the norms for noise emissions in European airports, to replace the regulation banning aircraft fitted with hushkits which has come under fire from the United States (see EUROPE of 31 October, p.9). Difficulties remain, however, between the Directorates General for Transport and for the Environment before the adoption of this directive, Mr Lamoureux inferred.
United States/Switzerland/aid: Mr Lamoureux pointed out that he had no proof for now that American State aid to companies had been used to bring fares down, while "I am certain that the practices of Swissair and Crossair are predatory".
EU/Russia: Mr Lamoureux took stock of the situation on the disputes with Russia in the transport domain. He mainly pointed out that an agreement had been found with Moscow, with the help of the EBRD, so that the levy for the right for European airline companies to fly over Siberia is paid into a "modernisation fund". In time, the aim is to eliminate such levies that amount to some EUR 220 million per year, he said, remarking that "according to the articles that I have read in the press, part of these funds were directly paid by bank accounts to Zurich by officials who have then had problems with justice".
EU/maritime security: François Lamoureux noted that there is agreement in Council on all the proposals under the Erika I and Erika II , except on the creation of a European compensation fund (COPE) which would complete the existing funds (IOPCF). This refusal is paradoxical since the Council also calls on the Commission to pool airline company insurance, he said.