Strasbourg, 06/09/2005 (Agence Europe) - European Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot told the European Parliament meeting in plenary on Monday evening that, if they were to rapidly adopt the regulation on air passenger information concerning the identity of carriers as he had proposed in February, well before the six tragic air accidents this summer - a proposal backed by the parliamentary report by Christine de Veyrac - then they would have a blacklist of airlines that are prohibited from flight, which would thus contribute to passenger safety. Mr Barrot underlined that such a blacklist is needed and that there is need for action at Community level. Also, the February proposal will make it possible to swiftly set such provisions in place. “The Commission must be able to rapidly extend national prohibition to the whole of EU territory”, he stressed. A mechanism for controlling third country aircraft is also needed, he said, and the Commission will soon present a proposal for transferring the management of the SAFA programme to the European Air Safety Agency (EASA) and for establishing an early warning system between itself, the Member States and the EASA. In order to strengthen the role of the EASA, the Commission will, this autumn, propose a new regulation that extends its powers (mainly to pilot licences). In parallel, the EU plans to conduct action with third countries and the ICAO, where it plans to fully hold its place. Furthermore, it is willing to help developing countries (“This morning, I received a minister from a Latin American country”, the Commissioner noted). Paolo Costa (ALDE, Italy) said that, if they adopt the proposal, “we shall have transformed what was a consumer defence instrument into real intervention in favour of air safety”. In his view, “a great deal must be done and fast”, and the sooner the Member States agree to give up their powers in this field to the Union, the better it will be for everyone concerned. In the debate on the future of the Union, he went on, if any competence is to be attributed to the Community, it is that regarding security.
Despite the accidents in recent weeks, air travel is still the safest way to travel, although of course the great rise in air traffic may entail a rise in the number of accidents, the Parliament rapporteur on air safety, Christine de Veyrac (EPP-ED, France) said, noting that the experts predict one accident per week on average by 2020, which “is not acceptable”. For this reason, she considers that “we must, as in the United States, make up for the existing deficiencies and foresee a European system which, as a complement to the ICAO, would go further in enhancing the safety of air navigation”. She said her report will be presented to the plenary in November. It proposes the establishment of a blacklist of unreliable airline companies throughout Union territory drawn up on the basis of “objective safety criteria” and with the obligation to inform passengers of the identity of the effective air carrier. The UMP member, who hopes moreover that the EASA will be given a “driving role in controlling respect of international and Community air safety standards through the issuance of a safety certificate for third country airlines”, was pleased to hear Commissioner Barrot announce that the proposal will be presented during the autumn.
Two Greek MEPs took part in the debate on the subject of the Cypriot air accident in Greece. Their tone was not the same. Kyriacos Triantaphyllides (GUE/NGL) was highly critical of liberalisation and the “climate of fierce competition” which reduces security and safety. Georgios Karatzaferis (Independence and Democracy) exclaimed “What is Europe doing?” It was going to draw up the blacklist well before this and “we do not realise how dangerous the flights in Greece and elsewhere are!”. He went on to conclude by asking: Should one only trust companies such as Lufthansa and Alitalia? Why does one reproach Greece for subsidising Olympic Airways if greater safety is wanted? Ioannis Kasoulides (DISY, Cyprus) urged the Commission to find the causes of “this kind of accident”, to recognise the responsibility, and not hesitate to point a finger of blame at any “criminal negligence”.