A3-0391/93

Resolution on the communication from the Commission to the Council on 'the European aircraft industry: first assessment and possible Community action' (COM(92)0164 - C3-0283/92)

The European Parliament,

-having regard to the Communication from the Commission on the aircraft industry (COM(92)0164 - C3-0283/92),

-having regard to its previous resolutions on the aircraft industry,

-having regard to the interests of and concerns expressed by the parties concerned,

-having regard to Rule 148 of its Rules of Procedure,

-having regard to the report of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy and the opinions of the Committee on Energy, Research and Technology and the Committee on Transport and Tourism (A3-0391/93),

A.whereas in its present state the European aircraft industry cannot, by itself, put into practice the strategy required at European level, and whereas its fragmentation is a source of weakness in facing the increased US competition on export markets,

B.whereas intergovernmental cooperation both at Community level and between European States is necessary in all fields, from those which require specific fiscal arrangements to those concerning research and technological development, without overlooking the specific concerns of small and medium-sized undertakings,

C.whereas any proposals put forward should be flexible enough to respect the individual characteristics and interests of all the Member States, and, at the same time, should be solid enough to allow them, on the basis of sufficiently comparative data, to provide a basis for improving the situation of the aircraft industry,

1.States that Community action is needed to create a suitable environment for the development of the aircraft industry, especially in respect of GATT negotiations and the adoption of the forthcoming fourth Framework Programme, so as to support European research and ability to compete in a vital high-technology sector;

2.Proposes that an aircraft research action programme be drawn up, and that arrangements concerning funding, monitoring, checking and dissemination of the results of this research be established in collaboration with the industry; national research centres should be fully coordinated;

3.Calls for a thorough-going examination of the concept of cooperation between those involved in the European aircraft industry, the Member States and the European Community with a view to establishing certain major strategic objectives and achieving them on a joint basis as, in view of the limits to support from the Member States which no longer have the required financial resources, the sizeable investments needed for the future can only be achieved by cooperation between the European industries;

4.Stresses that the industry needs to be encouraged to adopt a programme involving the organization of production structures and collaboration between European aircraft undertakings. In this connection, a working party on new production systems and technologies should be set up, with the participation of representatives of the undertakings in question, so as to allow their organizational structure to be modernized;

5.Believes that the arms industry conversion aid programme (KONVER) should be continued and intensified, especially for the military aircraft industry, which has been hit by the structural crisis in this sector with armaments production capacity outstripping demand, a situation which necessitates concerted political decisions with due account being taken of the views of both management and labour;

6.Believes that, at economic and financial levels, the major military programmes of the future will have to be housed within appropriate European structures to allow better management of the programmes and of research;

7.Advocates that in conjunction with the major groups in the industry and the subcontractors and the representatives of the workforce, training and recycling programmes should be drawn up, with the support of the Commission, to enable the workforce to adapt rapidly not only to the future needs of the aircraft industry but to other high-technology activities;

8.Believes that a commitment at European level is required in the form of the removal of regulatory barriers, and that to this end it is essential to :

(a)expedite the harmonization of industrial and statutory technical standards and procedures for certifying airworthiness. There should, moreover, be a specific response to the long-standing calls for a single authority, in order to ensure the smooth running of the single European air transport market;

(b)implement, as soon as possible, the measures proposed by the Commission, in accordance with the national civil aviation authorities and Eurocontrol, so as to provide better European air traffic control services and, particularly, better connections between air traffic control centres;

9.Believes that it is of utmost importance to adjust competition policy, with regard to mergers and takeovers, to the needs of an industry characterized by the globalization of its market and by the critical mass required by most of its products; in any case, the Commission shall ensure that this practice does not lead to a situation of monopolies with regard to other European aircraft companies; when taking decisions on takeovers or mergers between undertakings it shall hear the opinions of the other European undertakings operating in this field and take account of their economic and financial situation and their possible participation or collaboration in such operations, whenever their survival could be seriously threatened, with a view to preserving current industrial objectives, such as the maintenance of jobs in the sector; believes that, because of the European structure of these industries, the setting up of European workforce representative bodies must be expedited;

10.Asks that, in the context of GATT, repayable state loans for launching new products should not fall within the definition of direct aid, provided that they are made available by means of appropriate financial instruments on market terms and at market prices;

11.Proposes that the possibility of setting up an exchange-rate stabilization fund on the basis of a system of monetary parities based on purchasing power should be examined. Initially, this fund would be supported by Community financial instruments which would be repaid, within a suitable deadline, by the undertaking involved, at market prices;

12.Points out that open funding plans for the sale of aircraft products to customers, in accordance with competition policy and the GATT agreements, should be drawn up jointly by the financial bodies concerned, the aircraft industry and airlines;

13.Believes that there should be collaboration between the aircraft industries of the former USSR (especially those which have received aid) and Community undertakings in this sector, possibly in the form of an action plan, and that there should be cooperation on establishing standards and criteria of airworthiness, and recommends the establishment of a common industrial organization able to finance investment;

14.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission and to the undertakings in the aircraft industry.