Brussels, 22/03/2002 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, the Transport Council will note the state of play concerning the rules for allocating air slots. Most Member States support the proposals presented by the Commission in June 2001 to make the rules for allocating these "slots" more transparent, to develop competition between airlines and prevent congestion of the European sky (see EUROPE of 21 June 2001). Pending a more indepth reform that is currently on the table, the Commission simply fine-tuned the text that has been in force since 1993, in order to: 1) clarify the legal nature of the slots recalling that this is a question of "user right" and not airline company property; 2) make the allocation rules more transparent and ensure the balance between the companies already working at an airport, and the new entrants; 3) strengthen the role and the independence of the coordinators responsible for allocating slots twice a year, by giving them the power to impose sanctions. The Commission is preparing a mandate for carrying out a study on indepth reform of these rules, before presenting a new legislative proposal.
Several differences have already appeared within the Council regarding the current proposal. Generally speaking, the United Kingdom and Denmark would like to reach a decision more rapidly on the second phase of reform announced by the Commission, by using market rules as a basis for transferring and exchanging time slots between companies. The Commission initially planned to allocate the slots which are not in use, or which are badly used, by a system of sale by auction. It then withdrew the idea, however, after protests from airline companies and airports. (See EUROPE of 27 January, p.10).
Most Member States hope to strengthen the role of the coordinators, but Sweden has doubts about the financing of such a measure. Sweden and Finland, on the other hand, support proposals concerning the implementation of sanctions. Several Member States challenge the aircraft size criteria for slot allocation (Italy and Sweden consider such criteria could affect market access for some companies), and a majority is against criteria based on the existence of alternative transport means. Italy and Sweden also raise questions of market access. Denmark considers as too vague the request for a "satisfactory" alternative service. On the other hand, a majority hope to determine the airport capacities according to environmental criteria. Sweden supports the definition of "new entrants" given by the Commission, while Denmark is against this and France casts doubt on the thresholds proposed in the definition.
MEPs also received the Commission's proposals more favourably during the first discussions by the EP Committee on Transport with regard to the Ulrich Stockmann (PES, Germany) report, which is to be presented to plenary in May. The rapporteur hopes the role and the independence of the coordinator will be strengthened, but would like definitions to be more specific. He mainly urges for clarification of the term "new entrant" in order to prevent companies from creating subsidiaries simply to benefit from additional slots. During a hearing organised by the Parliament in December, the representative body of European airports, ACI-Europe, challenged for its part the Commission's determination to re affirm that slots belong to the public domain, considering that they belong to the airports that provide the infrastructures.