Brussels, 24/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - Christos Verelis, Greek Transport and Communication Minister, has presented his programme to the European Parliament's Committee on Transport. It is an ambitious programme geared to the creation of a common trans-Atlantic airspace, the Galileo satellite navigation system, the second rail package and the trans-European transport networks.
The creation of a common trans-Atlantic airspace, noted Mr Verelis, "is an issue that has been gestating for some time". Further to the 5 November 2002 ruling by the European Court of Justice condemning several Member States for having concluded "open sky" agreements with the United States (see EUROPE of 6 November, p.13), the European Commission presented a communication calling above all on the Council for a mandate for concluding an agreement with the United States on the creation of a common transatlantic airspace (see EUROPE of 20 November, p.13). Before giving it this mandate, "we are waiting for it to make a proposal fixing the framework for such negotiations", Mr Verelis said.
Another priority of the Greek Presidency is the satellite navigation system, Galileo. At present, the European Space Agency (ESA) is seeking to bring the situation out of deadlock and meetings are being held at several levels, although no date has yet been fixed for an extraordinary meeting of the ESA Council (see EUROPE of 8 January, p.10). On this issue, Mr Verelis will focus on the creation of a Security Agency, and on integration of the EGNOS system (regional system that completes the US observation system GPS) within the Galileo system. In this connection, the Commission is expected to present a proposal for a negotiating brief next month.
The second rail package, on which the European Parliament took a stance at first reading (see EUROPE of 15 January, p.11), will also be on the agenda of the Greek Presidency, which hopes to rapidly reach a common position. With regards the trans-European transport networks, Mr Verelis welcomed the setting in place of the Van Miert High Level Group, responsible for finalising a list of priority issues in this connection (see EUROPE of 15 January, p.12). He said they awaited this for the month of March, while acknowledging that "each Member State has its own priorities". Greece will also seek to find a solution to the tricky issue of Ecopoints, on which an agreement was reached during an exceptional Transport Council on 31 December (see EUROPE of 3 January, p.3). However, during a vote on the issue on Tuesday, the transport commission denounced the agreement (EUROPE will come back to this).
On the subject of time slots in airports, Mr Verelis said he hopes a political agreement will be reached on the matter but that he is first of all awaiting a Commission study, mainly on the problem of historical rights for timeslots held by certain airlines. On this subject, British Labour member Brian Simpson (PES), who was also concerned by the timeslot matter, regretted that the Council seems to find it difficult to take decisions until there is a disaster of some kind. German national Georg Jarzembovski (EPP-ED) questioned the Greek minister on the Greek airline company, Olympic Airways (the Commission had called on the Greek government, after an inquiry completed in December, to pay back part of the aid paid to the airline company). "Are you going to pay back the aid that was unduly paid?", he asked. Mr Verelis replied: "You have no idea of what is happening in Greece and you have made unfounded criticism. There was no public aid".