Brussels, 11/10/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 11 October, the European Parliament, showing greater ambition than the Council in terms of reinforcing the capacity of European airports, approved the own-initiative report by Danish member Anne Elisabet Jensen (ALDE). The report calls on the Commission to present, before 2009, a framework plan on reinforcing the airport capacity of the EU. It takes the view that the Commission “did not carry out an in-depth study into a global Community approach” to the needs of European airports in the communication it presented in January on the subject, and believes that the framework plan should allow improved coordination of national and transnational initiatives aiming to create or improve the use of airport capacity.
The Parliament's requests, however, are opposed to those of the Council which, when it adopted conclusions on this subject in October, took position in favour of keeping in place the competencies of the member states for planning and assessment measures for airport capacity, particularly in terms of infrastructure (see EUROPE 9514). During the debate which preceded the vote, the vice-president of the Commission with responsibility for transport, Jacques Barrot, described this position as “less ambitious” than that of the Parliament. Conclusions adopted by the Council “reject”, he continued, “European coordination, preferring local coordination”. “This reluctance”, according to Mr Barrot, “will make it harder to set in place a European action plan” aiming to reinforce the capacity and efficiency of airports in the EU. As he stressed, it is not a question of “centralising” the planning of new airport infrastructure at European level, “it is a question of coordinating and exchanging best practice”, he commented.
Last January, the Commission presented an action plan consisting of three initiatives, including a communication on reinforcing the capacity, efficiency and security at airports in Europe and in which it proposed a whole range of concrete actions to be carried out at European level to respond to the needs for coordinated action in this area (see EUROPE 9350). According to a study carried out by EUROCONTROL (European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation) and quoted by the Jensen report, demand for flights will be two and a half times higher than 2003 by 2025. By then, even taking account of all new investment, more than 60 airports will no longer be able to manage flights at peak times without delays or unsatisfied demand. This means that 3.7 million flights may not be able to go ahead. (aby)