News Release
Loyola de Palacio
December 10, 2003
No. 75/03
ONE SINGLE SKY FOR THE WHOLE EU
The European Commission welcomes
the agreement reached between the
European Parliament and the Council
with a view to creating a
single European airspace for the benefit of both civil and military users.
This agreement, secured on 9 December in Brussels at the end of a conciliation
procedure between representatives of the two institutions, covers the whole package
of legislation laying down the objectives and operating principles for the single
European sky.
Loyola de Palacio, Commission Vice-President responsible for
energy and transport policy, stated that "These
rules will enable the European Community to become the strong regulator which
Europe
needs if it is to have consistent, efficient measures covering its entire airspace."
Following the second reading by Parliament,
the essential aim was to finalise the conditions for more integrated management
of co-operation between civil and military activities and delimitation of the
optimum air traffic control zones. This issue was resolved by highlighting the
added-value of discussing these crucial dimensions at the EU level. Now the agreement
reached within the conciliation committee must be ratified by Parliament in a
plenary session and by the Council.
Loyola de Palacio added that "We have reached a milestone in European
transport policy. I started work on the single sky when I arrived in Brussels
in 1999, with the objective of reforming Europe's
air traffic management system in 2004. After four years' work I am pleased to
see that Europe
now has a single sky allowing safe, sustainable growth in air transport. It was
indispensable to modernise air traffic management and to tailor it to operators'
needs, extending beyond national frontiers. The single European sky will allow
air passengers to benefit from higher quality of service and will create new opportunities
for service-providers in the European Union. The compromise reached on civil/military
co-operation and on definition of the optimum air traffic control zones is satisfactory,
in that it strengthens the civil-military co-operation and commits the member
states in the process of reconfiguration of the upper airspace."
The
package of legislation agreed between the European Parliament and the Council
is based on the results of the work of the
High-Level Group on the creation of the single European sky and meets two
key objectives.
The
first is to establish a decision-making and regulatory framework which will improve
air safety standards and, at the same time, remedy the structural problems afflicting
air traffic control. Within this framework, the Commission will act with the technical
support of the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol).
The
second is to mobilise all concerned in a comprehensive reform of air traffic management
by reorganising the provision and supervision of air traffic control services
and speeding up the development and introduction of new technologies. All the
organisational, operational, economic, financial, social and technical aspects
will be covered by a wide-ranging action programme designed to ensure that airspace
is organised and used in a way meeting the needs of civil and military air traffic.
In
2004 the Commission, with the collaboration of Eurocontrol, will turn to the task
of drafting the detailed rules needed in order to put this package of legislation
into action.
ANNEX
BACKGROUND
European single sky
Apart from undeniable technological progress, Europe's
airspace is still organised just as it was at the start of the '60s, when traffic
was far lighter and governed by extremely strict bilateral agreements.
Air traffic control
Air
traffic control means assistance given to aircraft to cross airspace. The objective
is to keep aircraft a safe distance apart and to guide them along their assigned
route. Air traffic controllers tell pilots by radio which flight path to follow.
This task is performed from the control tower at the airport of takeoff and landing
and, during the flight, from one of the forty-one control centres on the way to
the destination.
On
the way from Rome
to Brussels,
aircraft overfly nine different control centres.
The
control centres and control towers operate within national airspace. Each national
airspace is governed by rules of its own, particularly on relations between civil
and military air traffic control.
Flight altitudes vary from one country to the next, as well as the no-fly zones
declared for military reasons or the equipment used to keep track of aircraft.
Air
traffic control is organised differently depending on the State: some have privatised
it, others have set up public agencies or kept this function in the public sector.
What is the Single European Sky?
At
the end of 1999 the European Commission launched a reform of air traffic control
in Europe. Such a reform had become urgent because of air traffic delays. Since
1999, on average one flight in every four is delayed by over fifteen minutes.
Many different causes share the blame: the airlines, the airports, air traffic
control and the weather.
This
initiative was supported several times by the European Council
Fuller documentation is available on the Internet from:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/air/single_sky/index_en.htm
What are the objectives of the Single European Sky?
The
objectives of the Commission's proposals on creation of a Single European Sky
are:
-
to increase air traffic control capacity, as necessitated by the annual
growth rate of around 5% in air traffic;
-
to improve safety. Air traffic control in Europe
is amongst the safest in the world, but it is not organised equally rigorously
in every member state. In response to traffic growth, a more systematic, more
binding approach must be developed;
-
to reduce fragmentation of air traffic control. Today each member state
organises air traffic control above its territory. Disparities in the rules and
organisational arrangements create inconsistencies which have knock-on effects
on traffic flow and regularity;
-
to ensure closer integration of the military sector in organisation of
air traffic control and in rule-making;
-
to smooth the way for the introduction of new technologies. Co-operation
must be encouraged between air traffic control services, equipment makers, airlines
and controllers with a view to introducing new equipment offering better performance.
The
Single European Sky has nothing to do with privatisation of air traffic
control.
Nor
will the Single Sky introduce competition between air traffic management
services. This is a natural monopoly. It is inconceivable for two control centres
to operate within the same airspace.
The
Commission attaches the utmost importance to safeguarding the public service requirements
to be met by air traffic control.
Who has been involved in the plans for a Single European Sky?
At
the start of the year 2000 the Commission set up a High Level Group made up of
civil and military representatives from the member states. A parallel Industry
and Social Group shadowed and contributed to the work of the High Level Group.
These two groups cleared the way for the Commission to submit proposals for legislation
in October 2001.
What is the timetable for creating the Single European Sky?
Following the yesterday's Conciliation agreement, the legislative package must
be voted by the plenary session of the European Parliament and formally adopted
by both institutions. The whole regulatory framework should be definitively in
place by the end of 2004.
What is the trade unions' position on the proposals?
Despite the fact that all the relevant organisations were closely involved throughout
the work, a few trade unions, particularly in France, have been criticising the
proposals. The Commission has started formal talks between air traffic control
employers and employees.
Will air traffic controllers lose their jobs?
There are approximately 13,000 controllers in the European Union. One of the main
reasons for air traffic delays is the shortage of controllers to manage traffic
at certain centres. Estimates suggest that 10% to 15% more will have to be recruited
in the short term.
Why is the Commission making proposals when Eurocontrol is already dealing with
this matter?
Eurocontrol is an intergovernmental organisation with
thirty-one members but, at the moment, it has no powers to lay down regulations
and penalties. This is why Community mechanisms are needed to govern operation
of the Single Sky.
Despite the success of certain technical programmes, the problems with air traffic
control demand a more political approach capable of overcoming the consequences
of fragmentation. The Commission plans to build on the complementary strengths
of Community mechanisms, producing binding rules, and the technical expertise
offered by Eurocontrol. To this end, the European Community has become a member
of Eurocontrol.
Why is close co-operation needed between civil and military air traffic control?
The
sky is becoming an increasingly rare asset as the number of flights increases.
The armed forces in every country need military airspace, which must be precisely
delimited. But consistent, co-ordinated use must be made of these rare resources.
For example, at the weekend the armed forces conduct no training exercises in
the airspace reserved for them, which should therefore be freed for civil use
to provide easier access to certain airports which are particularly congested
at the weekend.
The
Single Sky and closer co-operation between civil and military users should ensure
better use of airspace and, as a result, reduce delays.
Do the Commission's proposals impinge on national sovereignty?
The
principal objective is to reduce fragmentation in the sky by creating functional
blocks of airspace extending beyond national frontiers and on the ground by encouraging
co-operation between air traffic control organisations. These methods require
active support from the member states concerned: there is no question of imposing
them against the will of the member states.
The
Commission also wants fuller account to be taken of co-operation with military
users. It goes without saying, however, that their defence tasks are paramount.
No measure taken to create the Single European Sky should prejudice defence or
surveillance imperatives or member states' rights to direct their armed forces.
Safeguard clauses could, of course, be invoked instantly for national defence
or training reasons.
Comparison with the USA
With
a comparable geographical area (10.5 million kmē in the Union/9.8 million kmē
in the USA)
but twice the air traffic (15.9 million flights in the USA/7.9 million in the
Union), punctuality rates in the USA (77%) are comparable with rates in the Union
(73%).
The
USA has twenty-one control centres (compared with forty-one in the Union)
and proportionately fewer controllers (17,000) to manage twice as much traffic
at comparable cost.
Has the decline in air traffic solved the problem?
Although delays have been cut considerably since
11 September 2001, they are still too common (20% of flights delayed in the
first quarter of 2002, against 24% in 2001, according to figures from the Association
of European Airlines). Traffic is recovering increasingly clearly and should return
to its natural growth rate of 5% a year.
How much does mismanagement of the sky cost?
Estimates suggest that airlines and passengers lose EUR 1.3 to 1.9 billion a year
because of delays: time wasted and inefficient use of aircraft and staff.
Beyond that, delays and excessively long flight paths followed by aircraft harm
the environment. Fuel consumption and gas emissions could be cut by 5%.
In
the longer term, better organisation of air traffic should reduce air traffic
control costs and bring them closer to the levels achieved in other parts of the
world. It will also offer users a lasting guarantee of a high-quality service
meeting the public service requirements.
Can the European Union finance reforms in this sector?
The
reform will have clear advantages for airlines and passengers alike.
The
Commission is already financing investment in this sector under the
trans-European network programme. It has also proposed giving the Single Sky
project particular priority in the new
research programme, which will earmark EUR 90 million to technological development
over the next four years.
Once
operational, the
Galileo programme in turn, with its pinpoint accuracy, will allow better use
of airspace.
Press Contacts: |
Anthony Gooch
202-862-9523
|
Maeve O'Beirne
202-862-9549
|
