Public-private partnerships and single European airspace

23.4.2015

Question for written answer E-006580-15
to the Commission
Rule 130
Miguel Viegas (GUE/NGL)

The Single European Sky (SES) initiative, launched in 1999, aims to improve air traffic management (ATM) and air navigation services (ANS) through the increased integration of European airspace.

It has been feared from the start that this project may be too strongly geared to reducing costs and too closely directed towards the market, with the aim of handing a series of activities that have until now been the responsibility of national governments to private companies.

These fears have been further nourished by the fact that Indra, a multinational consultancy and technology company, has become a full partner in the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU), a public-private company funded by the Commission and Eurocontrol. This joint venture is to promote the Single European Sky ATM Research programme (SESAR) to investigate and develop technologies that will improve air traffic management in the EU. The programme has a total budget of EUR 1.9 billion until 2016.

Can the Commission say what criteria were used as the basis for setting up this public-private partnership, rather than creating a 100% public joint venture involving the Member States and drawing on all the knowledge accumulated by the corresponding air traffic control bodies?