Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-03-29-Speech-3-068"
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"en.20000329.6.3-068"2
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".
Mr President, as rapporteur for the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy, I have had no choice over the past few weeks but to get heavily involved in a conflict between the United States and the European Union that has got quite out of hand.
So what is the crux of the matter? In 1977, agreement was reached at international level to replace old and noisy aircraft with more modern and quieter aircraft. The problems started when the United States decided, on a unilateral basis, to phase noisy aircraft out at a faster rate. This was an excellent idea in theory, but in order to keep the high cost of this down, the United States started equipping obsolete and noisy aircraft with expensive engine-muffling systems, known as hushkits. However, this was nothing more than an expensive con, given that studies at airports have shown that these hushkit aircraft are still relatively noisy. One of the reasons for this is that standardisation is based on unladen aircraft. What is more, the international agreement of 1977 was never intended to artificially prolong the life span of aircraft due to be phased out, or to transfer aircraft from chapter 2 to chapter 3.
The regulation is important if we are to take the problem of noise pollution seriously. However, it would be better still if the United States and the European Union could conclude firm and reliable agreements on noise standards for aircraft. To this end, we need to conclude an agreement with the United States whereby we commit ourselves to a concrete schedule for phasing out the noisiest chapter 3 aircraft, including the hushkit aircraft. At the same time, we need to agree on international standards for new, chapter 4 aircraft. In addition, we must avoid having a situation where aircraft that have served out their time in America are sold to countries which can fly these noisy aircraft to European destinations. As an absolute last resort, we will have to develop our own European standard, but clearly that would be a second best solution.
Incidentally, there is no getting away from the fact that one of the key stumbling blocks in the conflict between the United States and the European Union, is that there is obviously no longer any basis for trust. This is evident from the mutual recriminations we are hearing. We need to restore this trust rather than fan the flames of suspicion.
On that note, I would like to ask the Council and the Commission how they propose to deal with this matter. The resolution that has now been produced by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy aims to clarify the position of the European Parliament. We need to find a way out of this impasse. There is willingness to do so on both sides; what we need now is to see this in action."@en1
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