B4-0089/94

Resolution on air traffic control (ATC) in Europe

The European Parliament,

-having regard to Rule 40(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

-having regard to its previous resolutions on air traffic control (ATC) and in particular that of 18 September 1992 on saturation of airspace and ATC,

-having regard to Article 75(1) of the EC Treaty which includes transport safety among the EU competences and Title XII of the Treaty concerning the establishment and development of trans-European networks,

-having regard to Article 7a of the EC Treaty on the Internal Market and to Article 5 on the obligations of the Member States,

-having regard to Council Directive 93/65/EEC of 19 July 1993 on the definition and use of compatible technical specifications for the procurement of air traffic management equipment and systems,

-having regard to the conclusions of the Council of 29 March 1990 on the capacity of the air traffic system,

A.whereas the current anachronistic fragmentation of the European ATC system is based on principles which are now obsolete and inadequate, and whereas above all there is no Community competence in this area, due to the resistance of the Member States and the military interests involved,

B.whereas this situation, together with the usual increase in air traffic during the summer period and the problems arising at the air traffic control centre of Aix-en-Provence in the second half of July, has once again resulted in chaos for air traffic users, in particular for tourists heading for Spain,

C.recalling that ATC is managed at national level and to a very small degree at intergovernmental level (the upper airspace of Benelux and the Northern part of Germany which is controlled by EUROCONTROL), which cannot be considered sufficient,

D.considering the increase in air traffic demand due in particular to the third package of air transport liberalization taking effect, and considering the deficiency of airport infrastructures,

E.concerned at the lack of any action by the Commission and the Council to find a solution to the legitimate expectations of passengers with regard to safety and punctuality, in particular in the peak congestion periods, as well as the demands by airlines for greater traffic fluidity,

F.recalling that the shortcomings of the ATC system are causing serious deterioration in the working conditions of civil aviation personnel, in particular those of air traffic controllers and cockpit personnel,

G.underlining the democratic right to strike,

1.Insists on the fact that the common policy on air transport and the achievement of the internal market in this sector must contain the necessary parallelism between liberalization measures, commercial policy and harmonization and improvements in safety, technical and social conditions;

2.Stresses that a genuine single aviation market must be based on a flexible use of airspace concept in order to eliminate frontiers in the air and to allow both operators and users to benefit fully from its economic advantages;

3.Is of the opinion that the urgent objectives in the ATC system must be the harmonization and integration of the different national ATC systems, under the aegis of the EU, and the establishment of the basic framework for a single unified ATC system covering the entire Community airspace and controlled by a single Community Civil Aviation Authority;

4.Therefore calls on the Commission to draw up, as soon as possible, a complete and detailed timetable to achieve this;

5.Invites the Member States and international organizations to cooperate actively with the Community institutions to reach the above objectives;

6.Insists upon the need to reinforce the Community R & D instruments, in particular satellite technologies, and urges the budgetary authorities to be vigilant in this regard during the 1995 budget procedure; recalls that good programming over several years is indispensable for attaining important and urgent objectives such as a Community ATC system;

7.Calls on the governments of the Member States and the European trade unions of the sector to seek a lasting solution to the problems of air traffic control, a solution which, while respecting the imperatives of working conditions, safety and environment protection, guarantees the free movement of citizens within the EU within a framework for ATC policies which conforms to the objectives referred to in paragraph 3 above;

8.Recommends to the Member States concerned and to Eurocontrol, pending a definitive solution, the establishment of the necessary mechanisms to ensure that, in the event of air traffic disturbances, island traffic would be considered a special priority;

9.Reminds the Commission of its powers in the event of non-compliance by a Member State with the obligations that are incumbent on it under the Treaty on European Union;

10.Recalls once again that a trans-European air network should be aimed, inter alia, at increasing the capacity of 'airways' (air routes) and of the most congested airports, and should also include the air traffic management system and the ATC system which are indispensable pre-conditions for a safe and efficient aviation in Europe;

11.Is of the opinion that the problems of energy saving, noise reduction and environmental protection must be an integral part of Community ATC policies;

12.Considers the implementation of a flexible use of airspace concept indispensable in order to achieve better cooperation between civilian and military authorities so as to allow airspace normally reserved for military purposes to be used for civil aviation, in particular during peak congestion periods;

13.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments of the Member States, the ECAC, EUROCONTROL and the Committee on Transport Workers' Unions within the EC.