Brussels, 26/01/2005 (Agence Europe) - Making the most of a mini-plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday, the Greens/EFA group is calling on its colleagues in the Parliament to sign its declaration asking the European Commission to present a proposal to limit the number of night flights in the EU between 11pm and 7pm “to an absolute minimum” (EUROPE of 22 January, p.10). Criticising the shortfalls of the 2002/30 directive on the reduction of noise pollution, the Greens/EFA hope that the Commission will assess the situation in the EU and legislate to improve local residents' sleep and put an end to the competition between airports resulting from differences in existing laws, the Belgians Bart Staes and Pierre Jonckheer, Caroline Lucas of the UK and Kathalijne Buitenweg of the Netherlands explained at a press conference on Tuesday. Without harmonisation, certain companies “can take governments and citizens hostage” by delocalising their activities towards more clement skies, explained Bart Staes, referring to the case of DHL in Belgium. For this reason, the Greens/EFA are calling for “common rules” on this, he added. As well as raising awareness among their colleagues, and in case they do not agree, the Ecologists are also calling on the citizens to get active, in the hope of millions of signatures from EU citizens inviting the Commission to present a legislative proposal, as provided for by the future Constitution, continued Kathalijne Buitenweg. It is worth noting that the procedures and conditions required for this kind of citizens' initiative to be presented have still to be clarified in a European law once the Constitution enters into force. Although the Greens/EFA have not yet officially spoken on this subject with the other groups of the Parliament or with the Commission, Mr Jonckheer indicated that he had had “informal” contacts with the Commissioner for Transport, Jacques Barrot, who was apparently “receptive” to the issue.