EU plans larger role in air traffic management

Date: 15/02/1996

By Michael Mann

THE European Commission will propose next week to increase the EU institutions' involvement in a new air traffic management (ATM) system which could extend beyond the Union's borders.

In its long-awaited White Paper, the Commission will suggest a system under which regulations are drawn up centrally, but services continue to be provided by member states.

The Commission will seek to expand the role of Eurocontrol (the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation) and make the EU a formal member “with the weight it deserves and on terms which enable it to exercise its competence and allow its institutions to play the roles set them by the treaty”.

It believes that streamlining Europe's diverse and often chaotic ATM system would cut delays and improve the network of air routes, saving up to 2 billion ecu every year. Steps to curb further cost increases could save a further 600 million ecu.

Commission officials are working on the final detail of the policy document, incorporating suggestions made during consultations with lobby groups.

The Commission argues there is no doubt about the Union's competence on air traffic control issues, given that its main purpose is to ensure safety in the EU's over-crowded skies, and the need to complete the single market.

Last year, MEPs went further, calling for the harmonisation of national air traffic control systems “under the aegis of the EU”.

The Commission's research highlights the enormous problems facing the sector, not least the extreme difficulty in gaining a picture of the overall situation. Officials believe there is a lack of efficient decision-making procedures and shortcomings in following up decisions.

Existing systems have failed to make efficient use of available resources and keep costs under control. ATM operators have also failed to share equipment and have often ignored the latest technology.

The report concludes that “new methods and techniques must be introduced over the next ten to 15 years if the air traffic management system is to be capable of meeting the requirements of air transport”.

But the Association of European Airlines (AEA), while agreeing that change is needed and that the EU has competence in the area, rejects the idea of Community membership of Eurocontrol as the “least satisfying solution”.

Some industry experts deny that the major airlines are unhappy with the situation, claiming there is general satisfaction with progress made in recent years considering the huge increase in air traffic.

According to one expert, the Commission can expect considerable resistance from member states, including France, the UK and Germany, to any attempts to gain a serious involvement in Eurocontrol.