Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-05-03-Speech-3-109"
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"en.20000503.6.3-109"2
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".
Mr President, I would firstly like to thank the rapporteur, Mr Sterckx, as well as all the honourable Members who have spoken, for their active cooperation in the debate which has resulted in the report that we are discussing today. To a large extent, the report confirms the analysis which was expressed in the Commission’s communication on the European air transport sector in the light of the global challenges, since, thanks to the liberalisation of this sector, we have been able to establish a much more competitive market than the one that existed previously. The importance of this is clearly illustrated by the increase in the number of airlines or the increase, much less spectacular perhaps, but significant nevertheless, in the number of routes where there are more than two competitors. This gives an idea of how competition has increased over these years. The opening up of the markets means that the sector has evolved in very diverse ways. Airlines have developed innovative strategies in order to adapt to the growth of the market and the challenges of competition, but despite their restructuring efforts they still suffer a large degree of fragmentation and financial fragility in comparison with their principal international competitors, and I am referring specifically to the US airlines.
I have left two issues until the end, not because they are less important, but because I wanted to focus on them for a moment. The environment is a key issue in the development of aviation and, of course, efficiency in the consumption of fuel per passenger is improving every day, although it is true that the growth in air transport is exceeding the improvements achieved in efficiency. We must therefore try to ensure that aircraft are modernised. The question of noise is also a serious problem.
Lastly, I would like to make it clear that our primary concern, despite the fact that I have left it to the end, is safety. That is the main and primary objective and all initiatives relating to air transport, the single airspace, the management of air traffic, the regulation of air transport, must take it fully into account. All our actions must take account, first and foremost, of the basic objective of safety. The Commission does not hold any position in principle with regard to whether or not operational air traffic services should be privatised. We believe that, before we reach that point, some associated services could be privatised, such as, for example, meteorological areas, which would allow for greater flexibility.
Ladies and gentlemen, some of you have spoken of a common transatlantic air space, and I would like to tell you that this is a very important issue. The current situation is the result of the bilateral signing by various Member States of the European Union and the USA of the so-called “open skies agreements” which, in fact, are resulting in an internal fragmentation of the European market and making it impossible for European companies to restructure in such a way as to give them sufficient capacity to compete at an international level.
As you know, the Commission is totally against these bilateral open skies agreements. It has appealed against them at the Court of Justice and I hope that the judgement of the Court will allow us to put an end to this situation and do what we have to do: enter into a bilateral agreement with the United States as the European Union as a whole, as a single internal market, and not divided up into different countries. The opposite situation may undoubtedly suit the United States, but in no way does it suit European airlines and European interests. One of the objectives of the negotiation of a common transatlantic air space is precisely to resolve, by common agreement with the United States, the current situation caused by the unilateral actions of the different countries which have signed up to these agreements.
I must point out, ladies and gentlemen, that the reality of the internal civil aviation market in Europe has been affected in a very negative way by this. Just now some of you were talking about the KLM-Alitalia affair, which obviously involves other issues, but where, if the two companies had already merged, we would not have the problems that we are facing at present.
It is true that one trait of European liberalisation, when compared to US liberalisation, is that the granting of state aid has been authorised to support the restructuring of certain airlines. It is true that the Commission authorised the injection of public capital – only once, as a one-off and subject to strict conditions – with the aim of helping companies to effectively carry out the transition from a regulated market to an open market. We can now congratulate ourselves on the fact that the majority of European companies have completed the transition process and that transition can be considered to have been finalised.
I must say to those people who said that employment in the sector would be reduced, that this has not been the case and that neither has the quality of work deteriorated in any way whatsoever. On the contrary, more jobs and wealth are being created. Companies have been able to confront the situation and liberalisation has significantly benefited consumers, although it is true that it has not benefited all consumers in the same way; for example, it has provided less benefit in relation to short-haul business trips
where undoubtedly the lowest fares are not usually adequate and cannot be used.
I would like to end by referring to some of the questions that have been raised. The issue of Gibraltar and the agreements reached recently by the two countries involved do not affect transport. In this regard, therefore, the situation remains as it was before that bilateral agreement between these two countries of the Union.
I would also like to say that intermodality, which is already being considered, is a key element in the balanced development of mobility and air transport. On the other hand, the question of slot allocation must be the subject of a Commission proposal since we cannot accept the current situation, in which many slots are lost, not all of them are properly used and, furthermore, let us be honest, there is a black market in them. We will make a proposal to the effect that slot allocation should be an administrative right granted under licence. We will try to ensure that there is greater flexibility in this allocation without causing any companies to go bankrupt.
With regard to Iceland, I would like to point out that it is an integral part of the European Economic Area and is therefore fully affected by the legislation."@en1
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