Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-09-03-Speech-2-024"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20020903.2.2-024"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, Commissioner, it is beyond doubt that the airspace above the European Union should be under common management if its safe use and greater quality is to be guaranteed in the form of reduced delays.
The approach taken by the rapporteurs, of involving representatives of consumer associations and of industry, as well as of Eurocontrol and of the armed forces, in the discussion in order to come to decisions on proposals for the use of the Single Sky, is one that I support. Only this combination, taking account of the experience of civilian and military operators, of suppliers, of those who provide air transport services and those who use them, can lead to decisions being made that effectively make the connection between the required safety standard, efficiency, and the interests of the workforce.
I do have doubts, though, when it comes to the technical implementation that is proposed. I can understand why service providers and regulators are to be separated, but I am opposed to the option contemplated of destroying the hitherto integrated air traffic control system by awarding individual contracts, some of them to operators in the private sector. Whilst this may well lead to more competitors becoming active in the market, I see it as bringing about the very opposite of the increased safety that is intended.
The geographical fragmentation of air traffic control services that prevails at present gives way only to fragmentation of an economic kind. In no way does this reduce the existing problems in European air transport, but rather – as demonstrated by the example of the recent crash of two aircraft over Lake Constance – new ones are added. Considerations of profitability led to cutbacks in personnel that made it possible for a situation to arise in which in fact only one pilot was actually on duty, and this made trouble-free and, above all, safe operation impossible.
Here, it is abundantly clear, the question arises of whether air traffic management's highly-sensitive safety issues might not be better taken care of by a public service, which would incorporate the advantages of the integration of the individual services into one single chain with the required quality of work, professional qualifications and the necessary material resources. Whilst the introduction of cross-border blocks of airspace represents a step towards the necessary integration of European airspace, it can only come about with the agreement of all the States concerned. When cases of uncertainty or dispute arise, it should not be possible to settle them over the heads of one or more states.
In contrast to this Commission proposal, which presupposes cross-border cooperation by regional services that are available only to a very limited extent, close collaboration between the nation states' existing public air traffic control services is very definitely conceivable and indeed realistic. In this instance, two countries would constitute a cross-border block of airspace. This complex question of how the sovereignty of states may be respected is also apparent in the Commission's thinking and reporting on improved collaboration between civil and military use of airspace.
It is not clear from these reports precisely how the closure of airspace to civil, as opposed to military, aviation can be rolled back. The current regulations can hardly be said to achieve better use of the single European airspace or greater safety. The extended interoperability of the European air traffic management network can be seen in a positive light, as integrated networks have a natural tendency to facilitate greater compatibility and contribute to the reduction of acquisition and maintenance costs."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples