Parliament adopted by 428 votes to 149 with 53 abstentions, a resolution on aviation.
The resolution was tabled by the EPP, S&D, and ALDE groups.
With respect to the Aviation Package, which the Commission intended to deliver by the end of 2015 and which sought to identify and address the challenges facing the EU aviation sector, Parliament made the following recommendation:
1) Improve the competitiveness of the aviation industry: Members considered that the Aviation Package should: (i) provide a much-needed boost for a more sustainable and competitive European aviation industry, (ii) strengthen European airlines, airports and the aeronautic industry, (iii) ensure a level playing field in the global market, and (iv) set out a long-term strategy for Europe’s aviation sector.
Parliament called on the Commission to take into account and include the fundamental points of Parliament’s positions at first reading on Single European Sky 2+ (SES2+) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and from its resolution of 2 July 2013 on the EU’s External Aviation Policy when drafting the Aviation Package.
Emphasising that the aeronautics industry generated a turnover of around EUR 100 billion per year and sustained some 500 000 direct jobs, Parliament asked for proactive policies aimed at supporting and developing the aeronautics industry.
The Commission was asked to:
- support innovation in the fields of air traffic management (automated air traffic control, free routing), remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPASs), alternative fuel solutions, aircraft and engine design (greater efficiency, less noise), airport security digitalisation, and multimodal solutions;
- support global environmental solutions, such as a global market-based measure to reduce CO2 emissions from international aviation,
- support airport greening and new business models such as self-connection or integrated ticketing;
- remove EU and national burdens from European airlines in order to strengthen competitiveness.
Highlighting the loss of competitiveness of EU airlines and airports vis-à-vis subsidised third-country carriers and airports, Parliament requested a proactive policy to ensure a level playing field on ownership, and strongly encourages Member States to improve their national infrastructure to allow their airlines to compete on more favourable terms.
The resolution called on the Commission to revise Regulation (EC) No 868/2004 in order to safeguard fair competition in EU external aviation relations, prevent unfair competition more effectively, including subsidies and state aid awarded to airlines from certain third countries that distort the market.
It also called for greater efforts to be made within the Council to approve the slots regulation proposal in order to improve the performance of airports and allow for the smooth functioning of air transport in Europe, in the context of traffic being expected to double by 2030.
2) International dimension: Parliament emphasised that the negotiation of comprehensive aviation agreements with the EU’s major trading partners should be a strategic goal and that such negotiations should be launched or accelerated. It urged the Commission to seek comprehensive mandates from the Member States as soon as possible, giving priority to the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
It also called for accelerating the implementation of the Single European Sky through the adoption of the SES2+ package, as the existing fragmentation of European airspace was a major burden on European air carriers.
3) Social agenda in the aviation sector: Parliament recommended that the Aviation Package include social provisions and provide the necessary safeguards, as discussed during the high-level conference ‘A social agenda for transport’ held on 4 June 2015 by the Commission. At the same time, it stressed that current EU regulatory provisions on employment and working conditions, standards and practices, including collective bargaining practices, should be maintained. It recommended pinning down the concept of ‘principal place of business’.
Members were concerned about the increase in socially problematic business practices such as ‘flags of convenience’ and the use of atypical forms of employment such as bogus self-employment, pay-to-fly schemes and zero-hours contracts.
4) Ensuring a high level of safety in EU airspace: Parliament called for the full implementation of the SESAR programme, and for the revision of Basic Regulation (EC) No 216/2008 to ensure the establishment of a comprehensive Safety Management System and to entrust the EASA with the safety aspects of EU security measures and of commercial space transport and remotely piloted aircraft. It called on the Commission to grant the EASA the status of single aviation authority in Europe.
Members called on the Commission to lift the regulatory barriers to satellite-based air traffic surveillance in order to enable life-saving services for EU citizens, and asked the International Telecommunication Union to make the necessary spectrum allocation.
Lastly, they called for a ‘risk-based security’ approach for passenger and freight transport instead of the current reaction-based measures. Parliament urged the Commission to undertake a feasibility study on the implementation of a pre-check and ‘Global Entry’ system in Europe.