Resoconto integrale delle discussioni

Giovedì 16 febbraio 2017 - Strasburgo

2. Una strategia per l'aviazione in Europa (discussione)

  Πρόεδρος. – Το επόμενο σημείο στην ημερήσια διάταξη αφορά τη συζήτηση επί της έκθεσης τουPavel Telička, εξ ονόματος της Επιτροπής Μεταφορών και Τουρισμού,σχετικά με τη στρατηγική για τις αερομεταφορές στην Ευρώπη (2016/2062(INI) (A8-0021/2017)

  Pavel Telička, rapporteur. – Mr President, in the recent past we have not had that many opportunities to praise the European Union for something very concrete and tangible but I must say that the aviation sector has been a success, and it has been a success thanks to the European Union. Imagine air transport twenty years ago, and the possibilities and opportunities for consumers, for us travellers; I think that flying away for a weekend somewhere in Europe at low cost was difficult to imagine. In fact, aviation at that time was for maybe a limited number of people. This is a concrete result of the Single European Sky and the liberalisation that we managed to pursue at European Union level.

Now, increased aviation transport does not mean that we do not face any challenges. In fact, I could name at least some of them: environmental targets, certainly. I do not think anybody would deny today that we need to continue with lowering emissions from air transport. Competition with third countries, digitalisation – it is now more than a year ago that the Commission came with its plan to address these and some other challenges. In fact, it proposed to start negotiations with our main partners, to revise the rules on the European Aviation Safety Agency, and tap EU potential for growth by revising some internal regulations. This is, of course, very welcome and we have already started working on some of it, but, at the same time, we still are still awaiting some of the proposals.

The aviation sector undoubtedly requires heavy investment in a fast-evolving environment. If we want to be efficient, then we need to set a clear vision for this sector, for the investments we make today and in the future. We need to have a vision for the next, even I would say, 50 years. This is, to a certain extent, the purpose of this report, to try to find some practical alternatives for what is not working today and to make some proposals for the future. I am afraid I cannot list all of them today, but at least allow me to make a few points.

First of all, develop a connectivity index based on added value of all modes of transport, in order to rationalise investment and improve the overall resilience of the transport network in Europe, while improving connectivity. This index can help policymakers to take the appropriate decisions without undermining territorial cohesion.

Secondly, a trans-European motorway of the sky, to limit the impact of possible disruptions to where they occur, thereby allowing EU flights to pursue their journey. This was the subject of a bit of a debate in meetings with some of my colleagues. I promised that I would make it clear to the Commission that this completely means that we are putting an EU stamp on a part of the airspace and saying that in this airspace the EU should have priority over national flights. I would like to stress that this is not against national sovereignty and it is not against the right to strike. On the contrary, this is only about recalling some obligations that we should have towards the European Union.

I will be very brief on the European Aviation model. We need to stop thinking that we will solve problems of competition with our partners by putting an end to competition. This is only going to be detrimental to passengers. Competition is an opportunity for our airlines. We need to provide them with the right safeguards, of course, and this is why the European Parliament will be following closely the negotiations on air agreements. I find intermodality a very important element of this report because quite often when we talk specifically about aviation as a transport mode, we tend to take it separately from other modes of transport.

Finally, on security, there is no need to recall why this is a major concern now. Of course, we need better coordination of EU intelligence and we should make sure we make the most up to date technology equipment, but we should also be careful not to overburden passengers. That is why the Commission is invited to consider the creation of an EU pre-check system where passengers could voluntarily register in order to go through smooth security checks once at the airport. There are many more [topics] in the draft aviation strategy and maybe we will have an opportunity to debate them today.

  Ole Christensen, ordfører for udtalelse fra Udvalget om Beskæftigelse og Sociale Anliggender. – Hr. formand! Jeg vil gerne takke mine kolleger både i Beskæftigelses- og Transportudvalget for at stå sammen i kampen for bedre forhold i europæisk luftfart. Der er her og nu brug for bedre regler. De regler, vi har i dag, virker simpelthen ikke godt nok. Det er til stor skade for både lønmodtagere og for de virksomheder, der opfører sig ordentligt. I jagten på billige billetter ser vi et ræs mod bunden, mod dårligere vilkår, lønninger, man ikke kan leve af, og en ekstrem kreativ udnyttelse af reglerne. Tiden er kommet til at tage ansvar og sikre ordentlige forhold. Ingen arbejdstager skal være i tvivl om, i hvilket land man skal betale skat, og i hvilket land man har sin sociale sikring. Vi skal af med alle kreative ansættelsesformer, der forsøger at omgå dette. Med vedtagelse af denne betænkning skal vi i Europa-Parlamentet stå sammen og presse Kommissionen til at komme med konkrete forslag, som kan sikre en fair konkurrence og ordentlige arbejdsforhold. Vi skal handle nu, ellers ser det sort ud for den europæiske luftfarts fremtid!

  Violeta Bulc, Member of the Commission. – Mr President, I would like to thank Honourable Members for the opportunity to address them today and to exchange views on aviation matters. I welcome your own-initiative report, which provides a comprehensive view of the aviation sector. I would like to thank Mr Telička and Mr Christensen for their hard work, as well as the other committees involved. Aviation clearly matters to our economy and citizens. We are talking about more than two million direct jobs and a direct contribution of EUR 110 billion to the EU economy. EU aviation today represents 26% of the world market. It therefore deserves all our attention.

It is clear that we have our work cut out – all actors, both at national and European level – so allow me to turn to the key points raised in your report. First, regarding the internal market, I fully support swift progress on the blocked aviation files. Each year around EUR 5 billion are wasted because we have not been making progress with the Single European Sky. I fully agree with your call for completing the EU single market for aviation. In this regard, the Commission will launch this year a feasibility study for the creation of a single European upper airspace to see how that could contribute concretely to the efficiency of our skies.

On foreign investment, the Commission welcomes your continued support and interest in the EU-level comprehensive aviation agreements. In line with our commitments, we will keep you fully informed at all stages of the negotiations. Related to the competitiveness of the EU aviation sector, I take note of the emphasis you put on attracting foreign investment. This is closely linked to the importance of having fair competition. We are currently working on new measures aimed to promote or safeguard regional and overall connectivity in Europe, as announced in the Aviation Strategy. These measures are expected in the spring and should include the following: first, new guidelines on ownership and control rules to bring clarity and facilitate their application; second, new guidelines on public service obligation; third, a proposal to replace Regulation No 868/2004 on unfair practices with more effective instruments, our objective being to present a credible instrument that will allow us to act effectively when EU air carriers are injured because of the discriminatory practices originating from third countries; and last, but not least, guidelines for ATM service continuity.

On the third topic, standards, let me first say a few words on safety. I am pleased to note your support for our proposal on the revision of the aviation safety basic regulation and in particular that EASA should be equipped with sufficient resources and staff. I look forward to a trialogue on this file, which should have started this Monday, and I sincerely hope that a new date will be agreed without further delay. A lot of progress has been made so far and I am confident that we will conclude this file under the Maltese Presidency.

On the environment issue, following ICAO’s landmark agreement, we are now focused on getting the global scheme up and running. We are serious about achieving carbon-neutral growth for aviation and we will provide technical and financial assistance to make it happen globally. Aviation is a global business and no country must be left behind. In its proposal adopted earlier this month, the Commission is proposing to continue with the current geographic scope of the EU emissions trading systems for aviation, covering flights between airports in the European economic area. This will ensure a level playing field and equal treatment for all airlines flying in Europe.

On social issues, let me now touch upon the social policy elements of your report. As noted in our Aviation Strategy, aircrew face legal complex issues due to their high mobility. In May 2016 the Commission published guidelines to help pilots and cabin crews by clarifying the legal regime applicable to mobile workers. Furthermore, the EU Court of Justice is expected this year to provide interpretation of these matters, in particular as regards the home base of aircrews. We are evaluating the concept of whether this notion of principal place of business is still fit for purpose. This is part of our ongoing evaluation of the air service regulation and this work should be completed next year, as foreseen in the Aviation Strategy.

The Commission is committed to strengthening social dialogue in aviation. The Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee on Civil Aviation offers opportunities for the aviation social partners and the Commission to better assess and address together the social challenges of aviation. Moving on to safety, let me be clear that the same safety standards apply to everyone, regardless of their employment relationships. Safety is our top priority and EASA is continuously examining the safety aspects of emerging business models. We will continue to closely monitor developments in the market and take action where necessary. Social dialogue is essential. The Commission is active and works closely with social partners, the Member States and all stakeholders when addressing these matters.

  Tibor Szanyi, A Környezetvédelmi, Közegészségügyi és Élelmiszer-biztonsági Bizottság véleményének előadója. – Elnök Úr! Magam részéről is üdvözlöm, hogy a légiközlekedési ágazat előtt álló kihívások kezeléséről szóló bizottsági stratégia a versenyképesség növelése mellett az utasok és a munkavállalók jogainak nagyobb védelmét és magasabb szintű biztonsági, valamint környezetvédelmi standardokat is érvényre kíván juttatni – ahogy épp az imént biztos asszony is szólt erről. Mindez összhangban van az ENVI szakbizottság véleményével is, amely szerint a légiközlekedési ágazatnak fontos szerepe van a környezeti hatások enyhítése terén. Ehhez azonban sok tennivalója van az ágazatnak az új technológiák kifejlesztése, illetve a kutatás-fejlesztés terén.

Ezúton szeretném megköszönni azoknak, akik az ENVI vélemény kialakításában segítettek engem, mint jelentéstevőt. Végezetül a tagállamok szerepét is meg kell említsem. Szorgalmazom, hogy tegyenek lépéseket az Egységes Európai Égbolt megállapodás végrehajtásával és a légi utasok jogairól szóló rendeletek felülvizsgálatával kapcsolatban.

  Anneleen Van Bossuyt, Rapporteur voor advies van de Commissie interne markt en consumentenbescherming. – In de Commissie interne markt en consumentenbescherming zijn we resoluut gegaan voor een betere passagiersbescherming. Vandaag worden de passagiers al te vaak in het ongewisse gelaten als ze problemen ondervinden met hun vliegtuigreis. Waar kunnen ze een klacht indienen? Wie kan hen de meest actuele informatie geven, enzovoort?

Bovendien vinden wij ook dat wie offline en wie online een vliegtuigreis boekt, dezelfde rechten en plichten moeten hebben. Consumenten misleiden door een eindprijs aan te rekenen die heel erg veel verschilt van de prijs die in het begin getoond wordt, moet uit den boze zijn. Ook het veiligheidsaspect mag niet ontbreken. We moeten inzetten op nieuwe controletechnologieën en ook op proportionele straffen voor wie zich niet aan de standaarden houdt, wat dan weer bijdraagt aan een veiligere reisomgeving en kortere reistijd.

Ten slotte, als rapporteur voor IMCO, ben ik teleurgesteld dat er niet meer elementen van onze teksten werden opgenomen. Ze zijn immers volgens ons noodzakelijk bij het uitbouwen van een sterke en allesomvattende luchtvaartstrategie.

  Deirdre Clune, on behalf of the PPE Group. – Mr President, at the outset I would like to thank Mr Telička on behalf of the PPE members in the Committee on Transport and Tourism for his good work in facilitating our views and preparing this report.

As we look back over the last 20-30 years and look at the benefits of liberalisation and single skies in our airspace and what that has meant for businesses, for jobs, for tourism, connecting people, regions and cities – that was bold, that was ambitious and that has led to the growth of low-cost airlines connecting people across Europe. Now we need the next tranche, the next wave of ambition. The aviation agreements are urgent and they need to progress, and I think this was outlined clearly in the committee’s report.

Europe is important in terms of aviation but that importance is slipping, and we now see growth in the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific area. So we need to facilitate our European airlines and the aviation sector to tap into the growth potential of the fast-growing external markets. We know well the benefits of external aviation agreements. I mean, look at Morocco, at the way activity has doubled, the Balkan states, doubled, similarly with Canada and the US.

So the aviation air agreements, we have seen, are urgent, are important. We also need to look at ourselves and recognise that there are difficulties. Congestion is going to be a difficulty. We know that by 2035 two million flights will be lost due to airport capacity shortage in our airports. That will cost money and that will cost jobs. We also have the challenges of environmental targets and, of course, the files that are still sitting have not been resolved: single European sky, slot regulation, passenger rights.

Commissioner, this is a time when European aviation is a success, it has been a success and it can be a success again if we equip our aviation sector to deal with the challenges that it faces today.

  Inés Ayala Sender, en nombre del Grupo S&D. – Señor presidente, en primer lugar felicitar al ponente, el señor Telička, por la apertura y la paciencia que ha tenido para negociar en un informe que él preveía como estrategia de futuro, es decir, algo muy concreto y basado esencialmente en el espacio aéreo superior como un elemento de tirar hacia el futuro, aunque, por otro lado, necesitábamos también —como él ha dicho— echar la vista atrás y adoptar un enfoque holístico, precisamente en un momento clave del cambio en el ámbito del sector de la aviación. Y, por lo tanto, volver la vista del cielo a la tierra supone también tener en cuenta que el crecimiento exponencial que ha conllevado la democratización de los viajes con esa apertura del mercado ha acarreado también algunos problemas; por ejemplo, problemas de capacidad aeroportuaria.

Y, en ese sentido, yo creo que están bien algunas de las propuestas que aparecen y que hemos intentado plantear para facilitar, a través de la mejora de la capacidad aeroportuaria, la cohesión territorial y la puesta en valor de los aeropuertos regionales, tal vez la idea de ir hacia el futuro. Unos clústeres que tuvieran los enlaces ferroviarios que estamos intentando darles a través de las redes transeuropeas podrían ser una fórmula para mejorar nuestra capacidad.

También es importante —y yo se la agradezco— la sensibilidad en relación con la parte social. Yo creo que ahí también teníamos la necesidad de equilibrar, porque el éxito para los viajeros es necesario equilibrarlo con mejoras y trabajos decentes para los trabajadores; porque si no ganan, no viajan, y necesitamos que tengan mejores salarios y más decentes para que también sean capaces de viajar y, por lo tanto, no sustraer con el espacio aéreo superior a las empresas de sus obligaciones sociales y responsabilidades.

En cuanto a la técnica y la tecnología, yo creo que ahí tenemos el planteamiento, la necesidad de una mejor financiación. Por lo tanto, en el nuevo MFP tendremos que prestar mucha atención al Mecanismo «Conectar Europa», a mejorar la financiación y también, al FEIE. En cuanto a las normas internacionales, le agradezco su lucha y su energía, señora comisaria, ante la OACI, y también deberíamos hacerlo ante la OIT, para conseguir estándares de calidad social, medioambiental y de calidad técnica a nivel europeo e imponerlos al resto de las regiones a nivel global.

Y, finalmente, romper una lanza, hacer hincapié en la posibilidad de una idea que yo le dejo aquí encima de la mesa, que es ir hacia un reciclaje reglamentado de los aviones en el marco de la nueva economía circular que la Unión Europea está lanzando como idea clave.

  Jacqueline Foster, on behalf of the ECR Group. – Mr President, first of all I would like to pay huge thanks to Pavel Telička. It has been excellent to work so closely with him again on this fantastic new aviation report, 99% of which is excellent in my opinion and has my full support. However, a serious problem arose because the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs was granted exclusive competence on the Social Agenda under Rule 54. Unbelievably their text infers that professional pilots on European airlines are employed on illegal, bogus contracts, thereby putting passengers in danger. None of their references are evidence-based and, in addition, comments regarding business models, such as ‘home base’ criteria, also have no place in this report, showing breathtaking ignorance, as 70% of flights across Europe come under general aviation.

Aviation is the most highly regulated form of transport. It is held to the most stringent legal safety standards with contracts of both pilots and crew having to be compliant with EASA EU OPS and flight time limitations. Therefore, these accusations are misleading, provocative and have no foundation. To make matters worse, we have been unable to amend the contribution by the Employment Committee. We have already made numerous references to good working conditions, high-skill jobs and training throughout the report, not least because all of us here support good jobs and good contracts of employment.

To conclude, this sends out the wrong signals for this committee. To suggest it is not safe for European citizens to fly on European carriers is quite disgraceful. Why should they book flights? Therefore, I am not prepared to appease this ill-thought through element of the report which has been included and which we have been unable to change, but I thank [Mr Telička ] again for the hard work, and I know he understands this position. I hope this message has got through, Commissioner, namely that we have to be very careful when we allow other committees to have so much input on certain dossiers. This was incorrect; an opinion would have been quite sufficient. Thank you. This is the Committee on Transport and Tourism, and our focus is on transport.

  Gesine Meissner, im Namen der ALDE-Fraktion. – Herr Präsident! Ja, die Kommission hatte schon einen sehr guten Vorschlag für die Luftverkehrsstrategie in Europa gemacht.

Jetzt gibt es einen sehr guten Bericht von Pavel Telička, dem ich auch ganz herzlich danken möchte. Es ist tatsächlich so: Wir haben immer mehr Menschen auf der Welt und da wird auch die Luft immer voller – nicht nur mit Passagieren, sondern auch mit Fracht, die transportiert werden muss. Ich finde es eine gute Idee, dass Pavel Telička sagte: Wir brauchen so eine Art Motorway in the air. Das haben wir schon: Wir haben Autobahnen, wir haben Meeresautobahnen, nun brauchen wir auch Autobahnen – obwohl es natürlich keine Autos sind – in der Luft. Wir müssen uns also wirklich Gedanken machen, wie man dort allen Platz schaffen kann.

Dann müssen wir dabei alles erfassen, was fliegt. Es geht ja nicht nur um die großen Passagierflugzeuge, es geht auch um kleine Privatflugzeuge, es geht um Drohnen, es gibt vieles, was reglementiert werden muss, und das ist hier auch alles erfasst und benannt. Wir brauchen einen fairen Wettbewerb, nicht nur zwischen den Flughäfen. International: Frankfurt zum Beispiel – ich bin nun Deutsche – hat seine Bedeutung als Umsteigeflughafen schon verloren und wurde von Istanbul überholt. Es ist auch so, dass gerade bei den Luftverkehrslinien viel Konkurrenz ist, wo man sich fragt: Ist das immer alles noch fair? Brauchen wir neue Spielregeln?

Natürlich brauchen wir Innovation. Wir müssen im Luftverkehr umweltfreundlicher werden. Ich warte schon auf das erste Flugzeug, das mit Algenkraftstoff betrieben wird – das wäre wirklich genial. Es gibt beim Flugzeugbau auch Kreislaufwirtschaft. Darüber habe ich mich schon vergewissert.

Als Letztes: Natürlich müssen wir faire Arbeitsbedingungen haben, denn das bedeutet dann auch vernünftige Sicherheit. Wir brauchen mehr Passagierrechte und wir brauchen einen einheitlichen europäischen Luftraum. Ich beschließe das ganz bewusst damit. Diese Gesetzgebung ist seit zwei Jahren blockiert. Es ist eigentlich verrückt, dass bei uns Zickzack geflogen wird statt klare Linien. Das wäre viel effizienter und viel besser für die Umwelt. Darum müssen wir alle dafür streiten, dass das endlich kommt.

  Kateřina Konečná, za skupinu GUE/NGL. – Pane předsedající, paní komisařko, dovolte mi poděkovat panu zpravodaji nejen za jeho zprávu, ale také za to, že ustoupil od svého prvotního záměru a ve významnější míře se ve své zprávě věnuje právě sociálním bodům. Bylo tak sice učiněno na tlak ze strany Výboru pro zaměstnanost a sociální věci, ale i tak jsem ráda, že nyní pak kolega vidí spojitosti mezi dobrými pracovními podmínkami a kvalitou služeb. Já tedy nemůžu souhlasit s tím, co řekla kolegyně Fosterová, a domnívám se, že je dobře, že tuto zprávu připomínkovaly také další výbory.

S radostí také kvituji to, že zpráva vyzývá agenturu EASA a členské státy, aby v zájmu zajištění bezpečnosti letectví nadále prověřovaly nové obchodní modely a modely zaměstnávání. Jsem přesvědčena, že zvláštní pozornost by měla být věnována např. smlouvám na nulový počet hodin, které považuji za mimořádně nespravedlivé vůči zaměstnancům. Jsem sice pro silné evropské letectví, ale to nesmí být vytvářeno na bedrech zničených pracovníků, na kterých kvalita služeb stojí a padá. Musíme to umět spojit a já si myslím, že se to panu kolegovi povedlo, a za to bych mu chtěla moc poděkovat.

  Jakop Dalunde, för Verts/ALE-gruppen. – Herr talman! Flygtrafiken ökar idag kraftigt. Det är visserligen positivt med en ökad mobilitet, men samtidigt måste vi inse att utsläppen från flyget eskalerar klimatförändringarna. Vi behöver en politik som ökar mobiliteten men samtidigt minskar utsläppen.

För oss gröna är det av största betydelse att flyget – precis som alla andra transportslag – betalar sina klimatkostnader och minskar sin miljöpåverkan. Varken nuvarande utsläppshandel, teknikutveckling eller andra satsningar, som gröna inflygningar, räcker för att åstadkomma detta. Vi vill skapa rättvisa spelregler som förbättrar konkurrenskraften för miljövänliga alternativ såsom utbyggnad av höghastighetslinjer, bekväma nattåg eller även stöd till utveckling av mer hållbara drivmedel för flyget.

Det är orimligt att flyget inte ska stå för sina egna kostnader, att de ska slippa betala skatt och moms och att så många flygplatser subventioneras med skattemedel.

Till sist: Igår röstade vi om reformen av EU:s utsläppshandel. Den var tänkt att även sätta ett tydligt pris på flygets klimatpåverkan. Tyvärr blev omröstningen igår ännu en tandlös reform som inte kommer ta oss närmare att uppfylla Parisavtalet.

Därför måste enskilda medlemsländer kunna gå före och visa grönt ledarskap och sätta ett rättmätigt pris på flygets klimatpåverkan. Därför röstar vi gröna nej till denna flygstrategi, som ensidigt prioriterar kortsiktig tillväxt och konkurrenskraft och som vägrar att ta ansvar för klimatet.

  Rolandas Paksas, EFDD frakcijos vardu. – Aš manau, kad pranešimas gana pozityvus. Aš suprantu, kad Europos Sąjungos aviacijos strategijos pagrindiniai aspektai yra konkurencija, saugumas, bendro Europos dangaus klausimas. Tai labai svarbu. Aš suprantu, kad pranešėjo Pavelo Teličkos pateikti pasiūlymai, pradedant aviacijos modelio plėtojimu, baigiant saugumo gerinimu, yra būtini. Taip pat manau, kad Europos Sąjungos politika oro transporto srityje turėtų būti pakeista nuo griežto reguliavimo vidinės konkurencijos srityje ir baudėjų pozicijos iki siekio užimti dominuojančią poziciją pasaulinėje oro transporto rinkoje, užimant plėtros ir vystymo koordinatoriaus vaidmenį. Maži oro uostai turėtų tapti Europos Sąjungos prioritetu, todėl raginu Komisiją jiems skirti ypatingą dėmesį ir valstybėms narėms suteikti daugiau veiksmingų finansinių priemonių ir instrumentų, padėsiančių išlaikyti mažus regioninius oro uostus, ypač periferijoje. Bet, kaip žmogus, daugiau kaip 40 metų turintis aviacijos piloto licenciją, p. P. Telička, kai ko nesuprantu. Kaip nesupranta ir mano kolegos aviatoriai, bent jau šito aš neradau pranešime. Aš nesuprantu, kodėl nuolat kalbėdami apie jaunimo užimtumą mes nekalbame apie dėmesį, paramą sportinei aviacijai, sportiniams aerodromams. Aš nesuprantu, kodėl nekontroliuojamai, tiesiog nesulaikomai auga reikalavimai aviacinėms organizacijoms, ypač toms, kurių daugelis yra visuomeninės. Kodėl reikalavimai privatiems naudotojams, keturių, dviejų vietų lėktuvams taip auga, kad greitai jie bus tokie pat kaip Boeingo kompanijos reikalavimai? Aš nesuprantu, kad inžinieriai-konstruktoriai, kurie kuria naujus, greitus, saugius lėktuvus ir kovoja dėl kiekvieno greičio kilometro, o mes, atvažiavę į oro uostą, praleidžiam valandų valandas laukdami patikros praėjimuose. Aš nesuprantu daugelio lėktuvų užlaikymų. Aš manau, kad tai šiuolaikiniame technikos amžiuje nelemia vien tik meteorologinės sąlygos. Aš taip pat nesuprantu, kaip yra ginamos piliečių teisės, kai, atvažiavę į oro uostą, jie randa aviacinę kompaniją streikuojančią. Aš to pasigedau strategijoje, p. P. Telička. Matyt, kad senas lakūnų posakis „Kur prasideda aviacija, ten baigiasi tvarka“ dar ilgai bus naudotinas.

  Marie-Christine Arnautu, au nom du groupe ENF. – Monsieur le Président, j’ai travaillé pendant plus de trente ans à Air France et j’ai pu malheureusement constater les méfaits de la concurrence exacerbée dans le domaine de l’aviation. À force de trop vouloir et de trop souvent déréglementer pour des motifs de rentabilité, l’Union européenne a créé un cadre qui, en définitive, bénéficie bien davantage aux compagnies étrangères et aux low-cost qu’à nos compagnies nationales historiques, qui paient aujourd’hui cette chasse excessive aux économies.

Le constat est sans appel, que ce soit pour les grands opérateurs historiques ou les principaux aéroports, les évolutions à grande échelle se passent hors de l’Union européenne. Seule l’industrie aéronautique semble tirer son épingle du jeu, mais à quel prix? Malgré ses succès commerciaux, par exemple, le groupe Airbus a recours aux délocalisations, baisse ses budgets consacrés à la recherche et développement, et diminue ses effectifs.

Aussi, je conteste vigoureusement l’expression «tendance inadmissible au protectionnisme», que M. le rapporteur a inséré dans son texte, parce que je crois que c’est la logique inverse qui est inadmissible, celle qui préside pourtant dans les institutions de l’Union européenne depuis quarante ans et qui érige le libre-échange en dogme au nom d’une sacro-sainte concurrence libre et non faussée, dont on voit bien qu’elle est un leurre, y compris dans le secteur aérien confronté, ces dernières années, à la concurrence déloyale des compagnies du Golfe.

Finalement, je ne m’étonne pas trop, Monsieur le Rapporteur, que vous partagiez la vision mercantiliste de la Commission, puisque vous avez vous-même été membre de cette institution, mais je considère, pour ma part, qu’il est parfaitement approprié que les autorités publiques défendent l’emploi de leurs nationaux et protègent leurs entreprises. Si certains estiment que prôner un cadre protecteur pour notre secteur aérien est populiste, alors je l’accepte volontiers comme un compliment. Je ne me résous pas, en effet, à voir plusieurs compagnies aériennes disparaître ou passer dans l’escarcelle des compagnies étrangères, parce que les États ne sont pas autorisés à les sauver. Je ne me résous pas non plus à l’émergence de ces nouveaux modèles économiques que sont le pay-to-fly, les sociétés boîte aux lettres, les contrats «zéro heure» et le faux travail indépendant.

Sur ce dernier point, je ne peux, par contre, que me réjouir des recommandations émises par la commission de l’emploi et des affaires sociales, mais je reste circonspecte tout de même sur la volonté de la Commission de les appliquer, parce qu’en général, celle—ci est peu encline à sanctionner ce type de comportement, qui nuit pourtant à la sécurité des personnels navigants et des voyageurs. Preuve en est qu’aucune compagnie low-cost ne figure parmi les dix premières compagnies aériennes du classement Jacdec. C’est pourquoi, sauf réponse convaincante de M. le rapporteur, je m’abstiendrai sur ce rapport.

  Σωτήριος Ζαριανόπουλος (NI). – Κύριε Πρόεδρε, βιώνουμε και στην Ελλάδα τον Ενιαίο Ευρωπαϊκό Ουρανό, τη στρατηγική αερομεταφορών της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης για ιδιωτικοποίηση υποδομών, υπηρεσιών και του εναέριου χώρου, με την παράδοση - από την κυβέρνηση ΣΥΡΙΖΑ-ΑΝΕΛ που ακολουθεί στα χνάρια των προηγούμενων - δεκατεσσάρων αεροδρομίων στην κοινοπραξία Fraport-Κοπελούζου. Οι εργαζόμενοι της πολιτικής αεροπορίας, όλοι οι εργαζόμενοι στα αεροδρόμια, μένουν κυριολεκτικά στον αέρα, μη γνωρίζοντας αν θα έχουν δουλειά και δικαιώματα. Η ασφάλεια των πτήσεων τίθεται σε κίνδυνο με τη λογική κόστους-οφέλους. Ο τουρισμός που εξυπηρετείται από τα αεροδρόμια παραδίδεται σε διασυνδεδεμένους μεταφορικούς και τουριστικούς ομίλους. Κρατικές υπηρεσίες, όπως είναι η Πυροσβεστική, τίθενται στην υπηρεσία του ιδιώτη. Παραδίδεται ο έλεγχος του εθνικού εναέριου χώρου σε ιδιωτικά μονοπώλια και πολλαπλασιάζονται οι κίνδυνοι που απειλούν τα ζωτικά κυριαρχικά δικαιώματα της Ελλάδας σε μια περιοχή όπως το Αιγαίο και σε μια χρονική περίοδο που αυτά αμφισβητούνται ευθέως από την τουρκική ηγεσία, με καθημερινή αμφισβήτηση των συνόρων, εναέριων και θαλάσσιων, αλλά και της Συνθήκης της Λοζάνης που τα καθορίζει. Ο λαός να σταματήσει την παράδοση των αεροδρομίων! Ενιαίος δημόσιος φορέας αερομεταφορών για τις λαϊκές ανάγκες και όχι μονοπωλιακά κέρδη!

  Wim van de Camp (PPE). – In de eerste plaats ook mijn dank aan de rapporteur voor dit verslag. Ik denk dat het een heel goed beeld geeft van wat wij op dit moment in Europa willen met de luchtvaartsector. De luchtvaartsector is een zeer uitdagende sector, maar het is ook een emancipatiesector. Er zijn veel Europese burgers die nu kunnen vliegen naar vakantieadressen en daar kan je veel over zeggen maar het is wel emancipatie.

Ik wil vier onderwerpen onder de aandacht brengen vanochtend, in de eerste plaats de innovatieve kracht van de sector. De Commissie vervoer zal volgende week een bezoek brengen aan Toulouse en aan de Airbusfabrieken om te zien hoe het gesteld is met de innovatie in Europa. Het tweede punt is de concurrentie. We hebben inderdaad zware concurrentie in de sector, niet altijd eerlijk en zeker van buiten de EU. Vervolgens het sociale aspect. Ik heb me nogal gestoord aan het gedrag van de Commissie werkgelegenheid. Als je medebeslissingsrecht hebt over een INI-verslag van TRAN dan ga je toch zeker niet een bericht schrijven dat twee keer zo lang is als het hoofdbericht. In deze sector moeten we ook niet alles bevriezen en met name de jonge piloten verdienen meer aandacht.

  Isabella De Monte (S&D). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, signora Commissario, l'aviazione rappresenta un elemento chiave del sistema del trasporto aereo, che è indispensabile al fine di garantire la connettività all'interno e all'esterno dell'Unione. Nell'ambito di una pianificazione strategica del sistema aeroportuale europeo, ritengo sia fondamentale valorizzare tanto gli hub internazionali quanto gli aeroporti regionali.

Questi ultimi contribuiscono alla creazione di occupazione e allo sviluppo del turismo e favoriscono la regolazione del traffico nei principali scali europei, promuovendo l'integrazione e la crescita delle aree remote. Quindi ho accolto con favore la comunicazione della Commissione europea sulla nozione di aiuto, in quanto sottolinea che il sostegno pubblico ai piccoli aeroporti, che servono prevalentemente un'utenza locale, non risulta idoneo a incidere sugli scambi tra gli Stati membri. Per queste ragioni ritengo importante sostenere, anche attraverso gli aiuti di Stato, l'investimento e il funzionamento nei piccoli aeroporti con traffico commerciale esiguo, che quindi non possono entrare in situazioni di concorrenzialità con gli altri hub.

  Peter van Dalen (ECR). – Aanvankelijk gaf de heer Teličkain zijn verslag heel veel aandacht aan innovatie, concurrentievermogen en collectiviteit. Dat zijn op zich heel belangrijke onderwerpen, maar de luchtvaart kampt wel met grotere problemen. In een hard gevecht om de laagste prijs knijpen diverse prijsvechters hun piloten af. Dat gaat zelfs zo ver dat piloten moeten betalen om te mogen blijven vliegen. Dat is een constructie die bekend staat als pay to fly. Dat dit voor én de piloten én de consument een groot probleem is bleek vorig jaar uit de studie van de London School of Economics. Daarin gaven veel piloten aan dat ze te maken hebben met vermoeidheidsklachten en die vermoeidheidsklachten worden door dit soort luchtvaartmaatschappijen eigenlijk helemaal niet serieus genomen.

Ik maak me grote zorgen om die situatie. Pay to fly is een absurde constructie en staat eigenlijk voor een organisatiecultuur met grote risico's. Ik begrijp daarom heel goed dat diverse pilotenorganisaties beginnen, of al begonnen zijn, om dit juridisch aan te vechten en deze constructies onderuit te halen. Het is ook terecht dat ze dat doen. Gelukkig heeft de rapporteur uiteindelijk ook deze punten in zijn verslag overgenomen en daar ben ik blij mee. Door die verandering, door die aanpassing kan ik nu ook het verslag steunen.

  Merja Kyllönen (GUE/NGL). – Arvoisa puhemies, rakkaat kanssamatkustajat, käyttäisin hyväkseni tilaisuutta kysyä komissaari Bulcilta biopolttoaineiden käytöstä ja nimenomaan toisen sukupolven ja erityisesti jäte- ja tähdepohjaisten biopolttoaineiden käytöstä.

Lentoliikenteen päästöjen vähentämiseksi saadaan säännöllisesti palautetta siitä, että biopolttoaineita mielellään käytettäisiin, mutta hinta on usein kolme kertaa kalliimpi kuin perinteinen fossiilinen verrokki. Jos me haluamme, ja toivottavasti edelleen haluamme, päästä Pariisin ilmastosopimuksen mukaisiin tavoitteisiin, kaikki toimenpiteet – niin lentoliikenteessä, merenkulussa kuin muussakin liikenteessä – täytyy tehdä. Toivoisinkin, että komissio ottaisi askeleita eteenpäin, niin että tästä fossiilisesta polttoaineriippuvuudesta päästäisiin vähän muihinkin polttoaineisiin.

  Karima Delli (Verts/ALE). – Monsieur le Président, Madame la Commissaire, merci à notre rapporteur, M. Telička.

Le secteur aérien est un secteur dynamique en pleine croissance: + 5 % par an. En termes d’émissions de CO2, cela se traduira par des niveaux multipliés par sept d’ici 2050, parce que ce secteur représente déjà, à lui seul, 3 % des émissions de CO2 globales. Par conséquent, à lui seul, le secteur aérien met en péril les objectifs de la COP21. Selon moi, nous n’avons pas de place pour un tel développement sans un virage technologique et sans une contrainte forte, notamment sur le carbone émis.

Outre le climat, l’autre problème, c’est que ce secteur est dérégulé. La compétition est inéquitable avec les hubs aéroportuaires et les compagnies du Golfe; la compétition intermodale est injuste, par exemple avec le ferroviaire, parce que le kérosène n’est pas taxé. Nous avons évoqué les problèmes sociaux, avec un emploi salarié toujours plus précaire – c’est le cas du pay-to-fly, des contrats «zéro heure» des équipages –, alors que le lien est évident entre conditions sociales et sécurité.

Par conséquent, aujourd’hui, c’est un secteur qui doit prendre en compte, de manière importante, le volet environnemental, le volet social, mais aussi le volet technologique.

  Franck Proust (PPE). – Monsieur le Président, Madame la Commissaire, l’aviation et le secteur aéronautique, qui emploient directement des centaines de milliers d’individus en Europe, dont près de 190 000 en France, sont de véritables piliers de croissance pour l’Europe. La Commission européenne l’a bien compris lorsqu’elle a présenté, en décembre 2015, sa communication sur une stratégie de l’aviation pour l’Europe.

Nous débattons aujourd’hui d’un rapport complet qui prend en compte des enjeux essentiels pour faire de ce secteur un outil au service du renforcement de l’Europe, tant sur son marché intérieur que sur la scène internationale.

Sécurité aérienne, avec la réforme de l’AESA, ciel unique européen, droits des passagers aériens, l’accord mondial de plafonnement des émissions et, enfin, la dimension internationale de la stratégie aviation sont des axes prioritaires qui devront guider l’action de la Commission et des États membres au-delà de la stratégie de l’aviation elle-même.

Je veux insister sur un point: comme en sport, je me bats pour que les règles du jeu soient les mêmes pour tous. Or, il reste encore tant à faire en matière de lutte contre les pratiques commerciales déloyales! Nous devons prendre conscience de la nécessité de défendre nos compagnies aériennes européennes et nos aéroports.

Aussi, Madame la Commissaire, je vous demande de mener à bien la réforme du règlement sur les pratiques déloyales ainsi que sur les négociations avec les pays tiers. C’est en trouvant de nouveaux relais de croissance et en luttant contre les pratiques commerciales déloyales que le secteur aérien européen retrouvera des perspectives d’avenir solides.

  Lucy Anderson (S&D). – Mr President, the continuing success of our aviation sector is very important for Europeans, as travellers and also as workers. I very much welcome the excellent work done by many MEP colleagues in producing our views on an overarching aviation strategy. This work has included engaging constructively with the Commission’s focus on a forward-looking framework for regulation of the sector on the basis of a common European vision. Making the Single European Sky a reality, regardless of national demarcations, would benefit all of us. I, and many others, will be doing everything we can to ensure that the UK plays a full part in this project in the years to come.

On the details of this report, I believe that we as MEPs have a duty to promote the reduction and minimisation of environmental damage done by aviation and to encourage a shift to other, more sustainable forms of transport where appropriate. It is fair to say the report could possibly have done more in this respect, but I still think we should support it. However, it is extremely welcome that we are voting today in support of calls to protect the rights of workers throughout the sector. In contrast to what some others have said, most reasonable people in this Parliament agree there is ample evidence of the problems of precarious employment in the sector for pilots, cabin crew and ground staff and we must address this together.

  Kosma Złotowski (ECR). – Panie Przewodniczący! Pani komisarz! Branża lotnicza odgrywa bardzo ważną rolę w generowaniu wzrostu gospodarczego, miejsc pracy i w kreowaniu innowacji. Troska o ten sektor jest więc w pełni uzasadniona. Europejskie linie lotnicze, w tym Polskie Linie Lotnicze, generują zyski i radzą sobie bardzo dobrze na rynku światowym. Należy im w każdy możliwy sposób pomagać w rozwoju, także przez negocjowanie korzystnych umów dwustronnych. Cieszę się, że właściwą uwagę pan Telička poświęcił w tym sprawozdaniu kwestii dostępności transportu lotniczego, która wygląda bardzo różnie w poszczególnych regionach i w poszczególnych państwach członkowskich. Przy obecnym poziomie mobilności możliwość skorzystania z przystępnych cenowo połączeń i portów lotniczych stosunkowo blisko miejsca zamieszkania jest niezwykle ważna. Można tę dostępność zapewnić dzięki swobodnej konkurencji na rynku lotniczym, także z udziałem podmiotów spoza Unii i linii niskokosztowych, oraz odpowiedniemu poziomowi inwestycji w infrastrukturę.

Oczywiście wszystkie inicjatywy na rzecz przyszłości transportu lotniczego muszą traktować bezpieczeństwo pasażerów jako priorytet. Nie można się jednak zgodzić na lekkomyślne wykorzystywanie tego argumentu we wszystkich sporach, także w sporach między pracodawcami i pracownikami.

  Νικόλαος Χουντής (GUE/NGL). – Κύριε Πρόεδρε, αγαπητοί συνάδελφοι, πήρα το λόγο για να σας ζητήσω να υπερψηφίσετε την τροπολογία 2 μετά την παράγραφο 15 που αναφέρεται στην ακύρωση της παραχώρησης 14 κερδοφόρων περιφερειακών αεροδρομίων στην Ελλάδα στη Fraport. Πρόκειται για χαρακτηριστική περίπτωση αποικιακής σύμβασης. Είναι αποτέλεσμα πολιτικού εκβιασμού καθώς ετέθη ως προαπαιτούμενο για την υπογραφή του τρίτου μνημονίου. Παραβιάζει τους κανόνες της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης περί κρατικών ενισχύσεων και ανταγωνισμού. Τεχνικός σύμβουλος της διαδικασίας παραχώρησης ήταν η εταιρεία Lufthansa που είναι μέτοχος της Fraport. Η ίδια η Fraport ανήκει κατά μεγάλο ποσοστό στο γερμανικό κρατίδιο της Έσσης, με συνέπεια αυτή η συμφωνία να αποτελεί παραχώρηση δημόσιας περιουσίας ενός κράτους μέλους σ` ένα άλλο κράτος μέλος. Συνολικά οι όροι της σύμβασης εξαιρούν την εταιρεία από μια σειρά δεσμεύσεις και υποχρεώσεις οικονομικού χαρακτήρα προς το ελληνικό δημόσιο, τους εργαζόμενους και τις τοπικές δημοτικές αρχές. Αγαπητοί συνάδελφοι, αν θέλουμε να σταθεί στα πόδια του ο ελληνικός λαός, δεν θα το κάνουμε αφαιρώντας τη δημόσια περιουσία του. Γι` αυτό σας καλώ και πάλι να υπερψηφίσετε αυτή την τροπολογία που ζητάει την ακύρωση αυτής της αποικιακού τύπου σύμβασης που έχει δρομολογηθεί.

  Bas Eickhout (Verts/ALE). – Mr President, first of all, I would like to say to the Commission that they always claim to take an integral approach to all kinds of challenge and, indeed, we have had a couple of nice strategic reports from DG MOVE on the future of transport. But when we go into very sectoral approaches suddenly this integral approach is lost. The strategy on aviation is really a very one-sided approach, looking only at the problems of unfair competition internationally and, of course, some issues we have in the European airspace. The rapporteur, unfortunately, did not take the integral approach that is needed for the aviation sector.

I am happy that, in relation to the social pillar, the report has been corrected and improved. However, on the environmental side it hardly does anything: it does not even mention the Paris Agreement. When everyone is shouting about how important that is and yet it is not even mentioned in discussion of this sector it shows that the integral approach is still lacking. When we take sectoral approaches, let us ensure that we know it is about economic, social and environmental policies. This report does not do enough in that regard, so I will vote against it.

  Paloma López Bermejo (GUE/NGL). – Señor presidente, la aviación es, como tantos otros, un sector afectado por la liberalización impuesta por la Comisión y las privatizaciones de los Estados miembros. España es un claro ejemplo. La privatización de AENA gestionará las infraestructuras aéreas pensando en la obtención de beneficios a costa de la calidad de los servicios para los pasajeros y trabajadores.

Con las liberalizaciones y las privatizaciones se ha producido un claro deterioro de las condiciones de trabajo en el sector. Mientras los servicios aéreos han crecido un 47 % en las últimas décadas, el empleo no crece, y los contratos temporales y precarios, incluidos los de cero horas, se han convertido en una norma habitual.

Hay que reforzar la negociación colectiva y escuchar las demandas de los sindicatos para evitar que cambios en las concesiones de los aeropuertos o las bases de operación de las compañías deriven, como ahora, en un empeoramiento de las condiciones laborales. Evitemos el dumping social y, desde luego, no avancemos en las privatizaciones.

Διαδικασία «catch-the-eye»

  Seán Kelly (PPE). – Mr President, (inaudible) with airlines and aeroplanes, and we are very grateful to all the carriers who take us around Europe every week. Especially coming from the island of Ireland, I must pay tribute to both Ryanair and Aer Lingus for their courtesy and efficiency at all times.

Also, coming from the island of Ireland means I am very conscious of the Brexit negotiations coming up and of the effect that a hard Brexit, with Britain outside of the single market and possibly the customs union, is going to have, especially in the haulage sector. I can see, because of the major difficulties in transporting goods across Britain and on to the European Union, a huge demand for both maritime and air transport in relation to cargo, and this is going to increase the pressure.

I agree with my colleague Mr Eickhout, and others, that the Paris Agreement has to be taken into consideration. We have to look at ways of reducing emissions, while maybe meeting increased demand, and that is a big challenge for us.

  Maria Grapini (S&D). – Domnule președinte, doamnă comisar, vreau să felicit raportorii și pe toți colegii care și-au adus aportul la acest raport.

Ca membru al Comisiei TRAN, înțeleg importanța sectorului aviației în contextul strategiei de conectivitate, competitivitate, dar și de dezvoltare a turismului. Cred că este nevoie ca și Consiliul să dea dovadă de voință politică în sprijinul dezvoltării potențialului aviatic.

Doamna comisar, sunt convinsă că știți foarte bine că dezvoltarea aviației influențează competitivitatea, mobilitatea, dar și dezvoltarea economică în piața unică. Chiar Comisia a estimat că se produc pierderi de aproximativ 5 miliarde de euro pe an din cauza că „cerul unic european” înregistrează întârzieri.

În același timp, există probleme încă legate de calitate și de siguranța pasagerilor și cred că este nevoie să țineți cont de măsuri concrete în sensul protecției pasagerilor, dar și al îmbunătățirii calității serviciilor.

Salut Comunicarea Comisiei intitulată „O strategie în domeniul aviației pentru Europa” și încercările de eliminare a barierelor, dar o doresc aplicată în practică. Voi vota acest raport și sper ca propunerile pe care le primiți astăzi, doamnă comisar, să le în transformați în măsuri concrete.

  Νότης Μαριάς (ECR). – Κύριε Πρόεδρε, η νέα στρατηγική για τις αερομεταφορές πρέπει να στοχεύει στην ενίσχυση της βιομηχανίας και του τουρισμού. Αυτό σημαίνει, κυρίως, μέτρα κατά των μονοπωλιακών καταστάσεων, όπως η περίπτωση της Fraport, στην οποία παραχωρήθηκαν, αντί πινακίου φακής, 14 περιφερειακά αεροδρόμια στην Ελλάδα και μάλιστα παραχωρήθηκαν με «προίκα», αφού στα αεροδρόμια Θεσσαλονίκης, Χανίων και Σκοπέλου εκτελούνται έργα ΕΣΠΑ, ύψους 520 εκατομμυρίων EUR, γεγονός που απαγορεύεται από τους κανονισμούς της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης. Επισημαίνεται ότι η Fraport εκμεταλλεύεται το αεροδρόμιο της Φρανκφούρτης και αεροδρόμια στα Βαλκάνια. Δεδομένου ότι μέτοχος της Fraport είναι η Lufthansa, καθίσταται σαφές ότι η Fraport έχει πλέον μονοπωλιακή θέση στην ελληνική αγορά, μετατρέποντας την Ελλάδα σε γερμανικό τουριστικό προτεκτοράτο. Πρόκειται για μία αποικιοκρατικού τύπου παραχώρηση ελληνικής δημόσιας περιουσίας σε γερμανική κρατική επιχείρηση, στο πλαίσιο των μνημονιακών επιταγών. Πρόκειται για παραχώρηση που διαλύει τις εργασιακές σχέσεις και θέτει κρατικές υπηρεσίες στην υπηρεσία της Fraport, όπως, δηλαδή, συμβαίνει με την Πυροσβεστική και το ΕΚΑΒ. Υποστηρίζω την τροπολογία για την κατάργηση της παραχώρησης των 14 περιφερειακών αεροδρομίων στη Fraport.

  João Pimenta Lopes (GUE/NGL). – Senhor Presidente, esta é uma estratégia em que não nos revemos e que condenamos. Denunciamos os seus verdadeiros objetivos, promover um oligopólio pan-europeu da aviação que resultará numa maior perda de soberania nacional num setor altamente estratégico e importante para o desenvolvimento dos Estados-Membros, mas também a intensificação da exploração dos trabalhadores, com a expetável desregulação laboral, o aumento da precariedade e a redução de salários.

Esta é uma estratégia nascida no seio das grandes multinacionais do setor, criada por elas e para elas, privilegiar os acordos europeus com mercados emergentes ou as recomendações para a revisão de um conjunto de regulamentos e diretivas ou o aumento do investimento público numa lógica de nacionalizar custos e privatizar lucros servem, exclusivamente, os interesses dessas multinacionais.

Por fim, o relatório é forçado a reconhecer o brutal impacto que o processo de liberalização teve sobre as relações laborais, mas é incapaz de propor qualquer medida que inverta esse rumo; antes pelo contrário, só tem como resposta o ainda maior aprofundamento da liberalização do setor.

  Nicola Caputo (S&D). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, il trasporto aereo è la pietra angolare della mobilità europea ed è la modalità principale per rendere concreta la libertà di movimento garantita dai trattati. La nuova strategia per l'aviazione europea deve innanzitutto mirare a mantenere elevati standard qualitativi e di sicurezza per il trasporto passeggeri, a terra e in volo, anche attraverso incentivi all'innovazione e investimenti mirati nelle tecnologie digitali.

Lo spazio aereo rientra nel mercato unico dell'Unione europea e un suo utilizzo inefficiente o irrazionale, come quello causato da pratiche nazionali divergenti per procedure operative, tasse e prelievi, causa disagi concreti per i cittadini, un aumento dei costi e dei tempi di volo, oltre che maggiori consumi di carburante e più elevate emissioni di CO2.

In definitiva, il settore dell'aviazione necessita di un'opera di razionalizzazione e di rinnovamento. Questa deve partire dalle Istituzioni europee, affinché si ottengano risultati armonici e si mantengano come obiettivi prioritari la sicurezza e l'accessibilità del trasporto.

(Τέλος παρεμβάσεων με τη διαδικασία «catch-the-eye»)

  Violeta Bulc, Member of the Commission. – Mr President, there are many issues and many questions but first let me say thank you very much again to both rapporteurs, Mr Telička and Mr Christensen, for a very comprehensive report and a very fruitful discussion. I would like to respond to all of you, but the time is really limited, so I will try to focus only on a couple of issues. I hope we can have a further discussion through the bilateral meetings on all the topics you raised.

First, just very quickly, on biofuels: in our low emission and mobility strategy we were very clear about the importance of alternative energies for transport. I have to say that, for aviation, biofuels are currently the only alternative which we will fully support.

On the topic of multimodality, which rolls with the same topic, and air quality, multimodality is certainly a very positive environmental impact, notably regarding local air quality, so we designed the TEN-T corridors fully multimodal. It has been estimated that many of the indirect CO2 emissions at airports originate from surface access transport. Developing important public transport systems is therefore key, both for environmental reasons and for fairer competition between airport modes, and we are pursuing this goal.

On regional airports: these deliver very positive economic and other benefits for the communities they serve. In recent years, regional airports have begun to pursue commercial objectives and are competing with each other to attract air traffic. In this new competitive environment, public funding of regional airports may distort competition between regional airports, so allow me at this point to also mention state-aid rules, which are necessary to ensure a level playing field between regional airports. Our guidance makes clear under which conditions public funding can be justified.

Regarding the pre-check and pre-clearance programmes, the Commission is aware that at least one important international partner has commenced and implemented an expedited screening programme, so-called PreCheck, for so-called ‘trusted travellers’. As a prerequisite, such travellers need to enrol and a programme determines the level of risk posed by the individual. This issue is therefore worth exploring further.

Pre-clearance: the Commission has noted the US Preclearance programme which aims at facilitating and rendering more expeditious the process of their arrival in the US. A number of major airports in the Union and their respective state’s authorities has been approached and consulted, in order to have such an arrangement in place. This needs a series of procedural and infrastructural modifications to the current configuration in place at Union airports. EU funding on preclearance will be considered further.

Regarding pay-to-fly: new employment models have emerged, such as pay-to-fly for flight crew. There is no evidence that safety is negatively impacted but the Commission and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) are continuing to monitor the pay-to-fly scheme.

I have already used up my time, so I am happy to discuss all other questions at the bilateral meetings. Thank you very much for your attention and I am really happy that we are on board together to make sure that aviation remains one of the success stories of the European Union.

  Pavel Telička, rapporteur. – Mr President, let me start by first of all thanking my colleagues Ms Clune, Ms Foster and Ms Ayala Sender. I must say I have truly enjoyed working jointly with you and I appreciate your input. You have contributed immensely.

Secondly, in reaction to some of the comments: Mrs Konečná said that she is happy that I backed off on the social issues. Well, I am afraid that she cannot recall the deliberations because she did not have the time to join us for one single meeting, otherwise she would know that the social aspects were present from the very beginning. The difficulty that I had was when we received an opinion from the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs which was as long as the draft report itself. Then it was extremely difficult to accommodate it. I think we need to have a certain sort of discipline. So I am glad that, together with the rapporteur from the Employment Committee, we then managed to shrink it, but as I say, it has always been present.

Secondly, on the COP: you know, it depends how we write reports. We can have a report of 20-30 pages mentioning the COPs, as important as they are – COP21 certainly – all the elements, all the documents, but nobody will read it. I am rather in favour of reports that will outline exactly the tools, the instruments with which we will manage to do it. I invite you to have a look at, for example, the connectivity index. It is there; I mean this is the tool with which we can really arrive at the outcome.

I do have a dream. My dream is that I wake up one day in the morning, I decide with the family or without to fly in the evening; that I will look at the internet, I will buy an integrated ticket which will take me from my village to Prague, then to the airport, then from the airport to another airport, and then by train – integrated ticketing, integrated modes of transport; that I will get to the airport and I will be safe; that there will be pre-screening with no extra hassle, but still security will matter; I will fly on a plane, whether it is European or international, which will have low emissions, which will be quiet, a plane with a rested crew, etc.; I will arrive without any disruption of traffic.

So this says what this report is aiming at, and I believe that if we vote for it this is yet another important step in the right direction. So thank you very much indeed. I am sure that gradually, with an active Commission, with an ambitious Commissioner, we will be able to make the dream come true.

  Πρόεδρος. – Η συζήτηση έληξε.

Η ψηφοφορία θα διεξαχθεί την Πέμπτη 16 Φεβρουαρίου 2017.

Γραπτές δηλώσεις (άρθρο 162)

  Mireille D'Ornano (ENF), par écrit. – Avec la politique d’ouverture à la concurrence du secteur européen de l’aviation civile, les compagnies aériennes européennes sont soumises à deux pressions concurrentielles: d’une part, le développement de la filière low cost et, d’autre part, la concurrence exacerbée de compagnies aériennes, notamment de pays du Golfe, qui seraient dopées par des aides publiques de ces États (qu’il s’agisse d’aides directes ou d’une fiscalité particulièrement avantageuse). Cette situation s’est traduite, comme dans tous les secteurs soumis à une forte pression concurrentielle en raison de politiques agressives de libéralisation, par une dégradation des conditions de travail des salariés des compagnies aériennes européennes. Ainsi, certains abus comme les contrats «zéro heure» ou le travail «indépendant» sont désormais avérés dans certaines de ces sociétés. Ce rapport, qui fait suite à la stratégie pour l’aviation publiée par la Commission européenne en décembre 2015, préconise, en particulier, l’instauration rapide du «ciel unique européen», mais fait l’impasse sur les mesures concrètes permettant de redresser la situation des compagnies européennes. L’absurdité du dogme antiprotectionniste apparaît au grand jour à l’heure où nos concurrents font un usage généreux de méthodes soumises, dans les États de l’Union, à des limitations légales strictes.