Brussels, 26/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, the Council is due to adopt a regulation on setting up a joint undertaking for the new generation of air traffic control (SESAR). Based closely on the Galileo programme joint venture (see related article), SESAR will have two founding members (the European Commission on behalf of the EU and Eurocontrol, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation) and will be open to members of the private sector. Setting up the venture, which will be responsible for coordinating technological research, will mark the beginning of the second phase of the SESAR programme, which will focus on research and the development of new air navigation technology. The aim of the programme is to rationalise the air navigation system by 2020-2025. In its current form the system is costly and fragmented (there are some fifty air navigation systems) and might be unable to withstand the continued increases in traffic. The main aim of SESAR (the total cost of which is estimated at €20 billion) is to harmonise navigation technology at European level to ensure convergence between the systems currently used, and to move towards a new generation navigation system based on two, or perhaps three, different but technologically standardised navigation systems. The same programme recently launched in the United States will bring worldwide convergence.
In concrete terms, new systems of ground-air communication will be developed, no longer using VHS radio navigation, which would allow the direct transfer of information between computer systems, improving the quality and security of the transfer, aeroplanes will be fitted with new systems to calculate the distance to the ground and to detect turbulence, and finally the satellite navigation system developed through Galileo will be used.
With regard to the draft regulation, which was approved in the Coreper on 22 February, the Commission and Eurocontrol will together hold at least 50% of votes (25% each). The third share will go to representatives of civilian air space users, who would hold at least 10% of votes, and the other members of the venture would have a number of votes commensurate with their contribution to the joint budget.
The venture, which will be based in Brussels and will become operational at the latest when the European blueprint on air traffic management (ATM master plan) comes under its control, an event scheduled for March 2008, will have two bodies: the executive director and the Board. This latter, which will have to meet at least four times per year, will be made up of a representative of each of the members of the venture, a representative of the armed forces, a representative of civilian users, an air navigation services supplier, a representative of components manufacturers, a representative of airports, a representative of staff organisations in the air traffic sector, and, finally, a representative of scientific institutions. Apart from the European Investment Bank, any public or private company or body, including those of third countries which have concluded at least one air transport agreement with the European Community, can become a member of SESAR.
To enable activity to start, founding members will make an initial contribution of at least €10 million within one year of the constitution of the joint venture. The first contribution made by the other members will be €10 million, to be paid within one year of acceptance of their joining the joint venture. This sum will fall to €5 million for members joining the venture within 12 months of its constitution. For small and medium-sized enterprises, the amount will be reduced to €250,000, no matter when they join.
The adoption of the regulation on Tuesday does not, however, mean the joint venture will automatically be put in place. A number of issues remain to be resolved, for example, the composition of the Board and the private sector's contribution. “At the next Transport Council (22-23 March), Commissioner Barrot will begin the discussion on these issues: this will give the Council conclusions, probably in June,” said sources close to the Commission. A recent technical audit showed, however, “the great interest of the industrial sector” and sufficient funding for the venture to operate, this is, €700 million for 2007-2013 (or €300 million paid annually in equal shares by the Commission, Eurocontrol and the industry). Community funding should come principally from EU research and development framework programmes. Additional funding could come from the trans-European network programme, which allows for the funding of research and development activities. (aby)