Plan for new air safety body delayed until the autumn

Date: 20/07/2000

By Renée Cordes

THE European Commission has put draft proposals for a new EU agency to coordinate air safety across the continent on the back burner amid lingering questions over exactly what powers such a body should be given.

Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio was originally due to come forward with her long-awaited plan for the new agency before the summer break. The move comes after transport ministers called on civil and military aviation officials earlier this year to examine the options for creating a single European airspace in order to combat increasing air traffic congestion and worsening delays.

But De Palacio's aides said this week that the proposal would almost certainly not be adopted until September at the earliest as officials struggle to define the scope of its remit. "It is a sensitive matter," said a Commission spokesman, adding that there were "formal problems" over the precise structure of the agency. He said the main stumbling block was concern over the kind of powers such an authority would have and its relationship with the Commission.

De Palacio argues that the new body is needed as part of a wider strategy to ensure uniform standards as Europe's skies become increasingly congested and travellers are subjected to ever longer flight delays. The agency would essentially be responsible for certifying aircraft and implementing other measures currently enforced by member states.

The Commissioner initially suggested setting up a quasi-governmental EU organisation comparable to the US Federal Aviation Administration which could take decisions binding on all 15 member states. This would replace the current voluntary rules policed by the Union's Joint Aviation Administration, a loose conglomeration of civil aviation authorities in member states. This hotchpotch of regulations has often resulted in bureaucratic nightmares for aerospace firms and air carriers doing business across the Union.

Although EU governments insist they are ready to work together to improve air safety, many have repeatedly criticised the approach favoured by De Palacio, arguing that they should not be forced to relinquish authority to a supranational organisation.

But they face fierce resistance from the aviation industry, which is urging the Commission to opt for creating a strong agency with enough power to ensure a harmonised approach to air safety.

"The way the current organisation functions is a loose grouping of civil aviation administrations with no power to adopt anything," said Kees Veenstra of the Association of European Airlines. "Safety regulations should be introduced and implemented fairly quickly after adoption."

The European Commission has put draft proposals for a new EU agency to coordinate air safety across the continent on the back burner amid lingering questions over exactly what powers such a body should be given.