B3-0252 and 0260/94

Resolution on the report by the Committee of Wise Men on European civil aviation

The European Parliament,

-having regard to the report of the Committee of Wise Men on European civil aviation, which has been forwarded to the Commission, and which contains a number of recommendations aimed at rescuing European air carriers from their current severe crisis,

-having regard to the third package of liberalization measures in air transport (COM(91) 0275),

-having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2409/92 on fares and rates for passenger and cargo services,

-having regard to its resolution of 20 April 1993 on the evaluation of aid schemes established in favour of Community air carriers,

-having regard to its resolution of 16 November 1993 on air transport relations with third countries,

-having regard to the Commission's White Paper on the future development of the common transport policy (CTP) (COM(92) 0494) and its resolution of 18 January 1994 on this subject,

A.whereas the Commission's White Paper on growth, competitiveness and employment (COM(93)0700) should provide an indispensable point of reference for all future Union policies concerning these problems,

B.having regard to the grave crisis in the air transport sector and the aeronautics industry to which the Council has also devoted considerable attention in recent months,

C.whereas the trade union representative on the Committee of Wise Men has not signed the final report,

1.Takes note of the report by the Committee of Wise Men while regretting that even though it clearly identifies the problems, the causes and the solutions it sets out are not adequate to the scale of the current crisis;

2.Believes, in particular, that the measures proposed by Parliament in numerous resolutions, including those referred to above, offer a more substantial basis for drawing up a comprehensive approach to solutions to the crisis;

3.Believes that the social clause should be taken into account in attempting to solve the problems associated with air transport and reiterates that the European social model should not be used as a new form of protectionism;

4.Insists on the need for liberalization to be accompanied by harmonization, although measures in the latter area are far from being complete;

5.Attaches considerable importance to problems of the environment and safety, affecting both workers and users, and calls for an evaluation of the impact of these two aspects on any solution that is proposed;

6.Believes it is essential to give some thought to the best means of reconciling the requirements of a public service and the demands of competition;

7.Calls on the Commission, as a matter of urgency, with regard to state aid to air carriers, to lay down a policy based on commercial and social interests, employment and strategic considerations;

8.Regrets that the report proposes no measures to resolve the major overcapacity created by air carriers, and its failure to understand the close link between overcapacity and the crisis;

9.Expresses its solidarity with ground staff for the day of European trade union action held on 7 March 1994 and calls on the Commission, before any decision is reached, to carry out a study of aid to airports and to consult trade union organizations fully at every stage in the procedure; reiterates that any process of liberalizing ground handling should take account of the impact on employment, security and the environment; asks to be fully involved in any decision-making procedure at Union level;

10.Stresses that an uneven process of liberalization of ground services may lead to a crisis of investments in airports; calls on the Commission to submit a proposal for full transparency of airport costs;

11.Calls on the Commission to submit a study of the level of fares, with particular regard to the likely impact of a major reduction in fares on social aspects, the environment and safety, and calls on the Commission to apply strictly the safeguard measures set out in the third package;

12.Calls for a committee of inquiry, including representatives of trade union organizations in this sector, to be set up to look into this matter;

13.Believes that state aid should be transparent and consistent with the aims of an integrated, modern transport policy, and calls on the Commission to harmonize and coordinate aid which reflects this consistency, while taking account of the situation created by aid granted to third-country carriers; believes in particular that the level of aid towards developing less polluting modes of transport should be maintained;

14.Considers that Member State governments have the right to take social, employment and strategic interest factors into account in assessing the need for financial injections into state-owned airlines;

15.Welcomes the conclusions of the Committee of Wise Men concerning infrastructure, which are consistent with Parliament's proposals, and reiterates that airport infrastructures should be integrated in the multimodal trans-European networks;

16.Reiterates the need, as far as negotiations between the Community and third countries are concerned, to take action on a progressive basis, while respecting reciprocity and the other general principles underlying the new common transport policy;

17.Regrets that the Council has so far been unable to reach a common position on the problems of air traffic control; reiterates the urgent need to harmonize air traffic control systems in the Union with a view to establishing one single system in future;

18.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments of the Member States, the trade union committee of the Community transport sector, the association of European air navigation carriers and the International Civil Aviation Organization.