RECOMMENDATION on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Common Aviation Area Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Georgia, of the other part
22.4.2020 - (09556/2019 – C9‑0013/2019 – 2010/0186(NLE)) - ***
Committee on Transport and Tourism
Rapporteur: Andris Ameriks
DRAFT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION
on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Common Aviation Area Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Georgia, of the other part
(09556/2019 – C9‑0013/2019 – 2010/0186(NLE))
(Consent)
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the draft Council decision (09556/2019),
– having regard to the draft Common Aviation Area Agreement between the European Union and its Member States and Georgia (14370/2010),
– having regard to the request for consent submitted by the Council in accordance with Articles 100(2) and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (a)(v), and Article 218(7), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (C9‑0013/2019),
– having regard to Rules 105(1) and (4) and Rule 114(7) of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the recommendation of the Committee on Transport and Tourism (A9-0082/2020),
1. Gives its consent to the conclusion of the Agreement;
2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council and the Commission and to the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the Republic of Georgia.
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
This agreement is an international one establishing relations in the field of aviation between the EU and its Member States and Georgia.
Its purpose is the establishment of an EU/Georgia Common Aviation Area. The existing bilateral agreements on air traffic services between the two sides are to be superseded by the new agreement. The agreement is being concluded as part of the EU neighbourhood policy, one of the aims of which is to establish a common aviation area between the EU and its neighbours.
Procedure
The Council signed the Agreement on 2 December 2010. On 15 November 2011, the European Parliament gave its consent to the conclusion of the Agreement[1]. However, in order to take into account the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon as well as the legal modifications following the ruling of the European Court of Justice[2] relating to the wording of the Council’s decisions, the Council decided, on 25 June 2019, to consult again the Parliament to obtain its consent.
No modifications have been made to the substance of the Agreement itself, which is being applied provisionally since its signature by the Parties.
In order to conclude the Agreement the Council needs the consent of the European Parliament as required by Article 218 TFEU.
In accordance with Rules 105 and 114(5), (7) and (8) of Parliament’s rules of procedure, the committee responsible shall submit a recommendation for the approval or rejection of the proposed act. Parliament shall then take a decision by means of a single vote, and no amendments to the Agreement may be tabled. Amendments in committee shall be admissible only if their aim is to reverse the recommendation proposed by the rapporteur.
Reminder of the main provisions of the Agreement
The Agreement will extend to Georgia all the legislation and rules governing the EU single market in air transport and will establish uniform framework conditions for all aviation undertakings in the EU and Georgia. Application to Georgia of the current legislation on aviation security and safety and air traffic management is the way to reciprocal market opening and it enables all economic stakeholders to participate in the common aviation area on a non-discriminatory basis. This means that in future all aviation undertakings in the EU and Georgia will be able to offer their services from anywhere in the EU to anywhere in Georgia.
The assumption is that reciprocal market opening will bring new participants into the market, entail the use of airports previously inadequately served and result in consolidation among EU aviation undertakings. The Commission estimates that the gradual establishment of the EU/Georgia Common Aviation Area will, in the first year alone, boost passenger numbers by 25 000 and generate benefits to consumers worth around EUR 17 million.
By means of this decision, the Council approves the agreement. It is a shared view that the regulatory cooperation between the European Union and Georgia crucially important for the safe, secure, and efficient operation of air services can take place only at EU level, and that the EU's conclusion of the Agreement is therefore compatible with observance of the subsidiarity principle.
Rapporteur’s position
This consent procedure is a purely technical one, to take into account the legal consequences of the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon and of the 2015 ruling of the Court of Justice. In 2011, the Parliament approved already the substance of the Agreement and should keep its position.
In the light of the above, your Rapporteur suggests that the TRAN Committee should give a favourable recommendation on the conclusion of the Agreement.
PROCEDURE – COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE
Title |
Common Aviation Area Agreement between the EU and its Member States, of the one part, and Georgia, of the other part |
|||
References |
09556/2019 – C9-0013/2019 – 09185/2011 – C7-0124/2011 – 2010/0186(NLE) |
|||
Date of consultation / request for consent |
17.5.2011 |
|
|
|
Committee responsible Date announced in plenary |
TRAN 15.7.2019 |
|
|
|
Rapporteurs Date appointed |
Andris Ameriks 16.10.2019 |
|
|
|
Date adopted |
21.4.2020 |
|
|
|
Result of final vote |
+: –: 0: |
47 0 0 |
||
Members present for the final vote |
Magdalena Adamowicz, Andris Ameriks, José Ramón Bauzá Díaz, Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, Marco Campomenosi, Ciarán Cuffe, Andor Deli, Karima Delli, Anna Deparnay-Grunenberg, Ismail Ertug, Gheorghe Falcă, Giuseppe Ferrandino, Mario Furore, Søren Gade, Isabel García Muñoz, Jens Gieseke, Elsi Katainen, Kateřina Konečná, Elena Kountoura, Julie Lechanteux, Bogusław Liberadzki, Peter Lundgren, Benoît Lutgen, Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska, Marian-Jean Marinescu, Tilly Metz, Giuseppe Milazzo, Cláudia Monteiro de Aguiar, Caroline Nagtegaal, Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Philippe Olivier, Rovana Plumb, Tomasz Piotr Poręba, Dominique Riquet, Massimiliano Salini, Sven Schulze, Vera Tax, Barbara Thaler, István Ujhelyi, Petar Vitanov, Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi, Lucia Vuolo, Roberts Zīle, Kosma Złotowski |
|||
Substitutes present for the final vote |
Clare Daly, Maria Grapini, Maximilian Krah |
|||
Date tabled |
22.4.2020 |
|||
FINAL VOTE BY ROLL CALL IN COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE
47 |
+ |
ECR |
Peter Lundgren, Tomasz Piotr Poręba, Roberts Zīle, Kosma Złotowski |
GUE/NGL |
Clare Daly, Kateřina Konečná, Elena Kountoura |
ID |
Marco Campomenosi, Maximilian Krah, Julie Lechanteux, Philippe Olivier, Lucia Vuolo |
NI |
Mario Furore |
PPE |
Magdalena Adamowicz, Andor Deli, Gheorghe Falcă, Jens Gieseke, Benoît Lutgen, Marian‑Jean Marinescu, Giuseppe Milazzo, Cláudia Monteiro de Aguiar, Massimiliano Salini, Sven Schulze, Barbara Thaler, Elissavet Vozemberg‑Vrionidi, Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska |
RENEW |
José Ramón Bauzá Díaz, Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, Søren Gade, Elsi Katainen, Caroline Nagtegaal, Jan‑Christoph Oetjen, Dominique Riquet |
S&D |
Andris Ameriks, Ismail Ertug, Giuseppe Ferrandino, Isabel García Muñoz, Maria Grapini, Bogusław Liberadzki, Rovana Plumb, Vera Tax, István Ujhelyi, Petar Vitanov |
VERTS/ALE |
Ciarán Cuffe, Karima Delli, Anna Deparnay‑Grunenberg, Tilly Metz |
0 |
- |
0# |
0 |
Key to symbols:
+ : in favour
- : against
0 : abstention