Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-06-14-Speech-3-350"
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"en.20060614.20.3-350"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, let me begin by thanking the Committee Chairman, Mr Costa, for his excellent work. My thanks also go to all the speakers, whose contributions testify to the importance of the subject of this evening’s debate.
The European Commission is able to accept a large number of the amendments proposed in this report. I shall transmit the necessary information on each of the amendments through the usual channels, Mr President.
I shall take this opportunity to reply to some of the speakers on the question of firearms on board aircraft. In the Commission’s proposal amending the Regulation, chapter 10 of the Annex proposes in-flight security measures. Paragraph 4 stipulates that no firearms must be present on board an aircraft unless authorised by the Member States concerned, subject to fulfilment of the security conditions. The Commission is not proposing that firearms be permitted on board aircraft, but experience has shown that there are cases in which firearms are carried on aircraft by statesmen’s bodyguards or by security officers known as ‘sky marshals’. Accordingly, the Commission wants to ensure that the conditions laid down in paragraph 4 are met in such cases. So much for the problem of firearms on board, a difficult problem for which we have tried to find a few benchmarks.
The Commission, Mr Costa, can endorse the creation, as proposed in recital 9, of a solidarity mechanism that could be activated in the event of a terrorist attack, but we must bear in mind that the consequences of an act of terrorism can spread far beyond the transport sector. For this reason, the Commission believes that this matter should be dealt with in a wider context.
Let me move on to the funding of security. Back in April, I promised you a report on the financing of transport security. We are in the process of finalising that document, which will be with you before the summer recess. The report will describe the current situation and will show what is desirable to protect the public on the one hand and to guarantee the proper functioning of the single market and fair competition on the other.
According to the study on civil-aviation security, the cost of security is borne to a great extent by users at the present time. For flights within the Community, security-related taxes and fees levied by governments and carriers account for one to two per cent of the average ticket price. I therefore agree with your committee and its chairman, Mr Costa, on the need for greater transparency with regard to taxes and fees. That is the way to avoid any risk of distorted competition.
The next task is to examine the situation that would develop if some Member States were to set additional requirements. I certainly understand the reasons for all these amendments that relate to funding, but is it necessary to try and resolve all of these funding problems in the context of a technical regulation? The regulation is there to set technical standards for the security of civil aviation; for the rest, it is true that the simplification of certain procedures can lower costs, but I really must remind Parliament that we have to take care not to delay the improvement of this security legislation. This is why the Commission has misgivings about the amendments on funding, especially Amendments 35 and 43. It is true that the funding problems require clarification, but let us be wary of delay in the adoption of this revised draft. I believe every speaker has acknowledged its usefulness, particularly in providing a European approach to security standards.
Lastly, I should like to say to the lead committee that we cannot support the amendments which would entrust additional tasks to the European Aviation Safety Agency at this time. We cannot ask it today to assume this additional responsibility, because it already has very important functions and has some difficulty in performing them with the resources that are currently at its disposal.
In spite of these reservations, Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I should like to offer Parliament, along with its rapporteur and committee, my sincere thanks, because we consider that the Commission can accept the great majority of the amendments. In conclusion, I fervently hope that we can proceed towards the rapid adoption of this proposal."@en1
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