COUNCIL RESOLUTION

of 19 July 1999

on the situation of air traffic delays in Europe

(1999/C 222/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Whereas:

(1) the single European market requires a properly functioning air transport system to ensure the mobility of the citizens; this mobility is necessary in the interest of the economic competitiveness of the Community;

(2) the air transport industry itself is an important economic factor in the Community; a good, reliable and efficient air transport system contributes to the wealth of the Community and its citizens, as it will continue to contribute to the creation of new jobs;

(3) the proper functioning of the air transport system requires appropriate infrastructure and air space capacity to be provided in a coordinated and consistent way;

(4) Eurocontrol has the primary coordination role in the field of air traffic management in Europa and should become the primary policymaker in this field with the accession of the Community;

(5) air space users should also contribute to the efficient use of the air space capacity,

NOTES that the situation in air traffic delays is of serious concern and that this undermines the efficiency of Community air transport, and also causes great inconvenience to the air travellers and may cause an additional burden on the environment,

NOTES that all Member States support the plans of Eurocontrol to achieve a demand-oriented air traffic management capacity, subject to environmental constraints and in order to be compatible with the sustainable development of transport,

RECALLS its Resolutions of:

- 18 July 1989 on air traffic system capacity problems,

- 22 January 1990 on a European infrastructure,

- 17 November 1995 on problems caused by congestion and crisis situations in air traffic in Europe,

which encourage and reinforce the action of Eurocontrol,

RECALLS its Decision of 20 July 1998 which authorises the Commission to enter into negotiations with the Contracting Parties of Eurocontrol with a view to the Community's accession to the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) on the basis of a Protocol pursuant to Article 40 of the revised Eurocontrol Convention,

WELCOMES the measures currently employed and under consideration by Eurocontrol to improve the forward planning and the efficiency of air traffic management in Europe,

INVITES all Member States, in view of the current situation regarding delays in air traffic, to pursue and intensify their action at national level. Invites those who are members of Eurocontrol to ensure that the provisional Council of Eurocontrol organises its work to closely follow the situation during the coming summer season; and, invites them, within this organisation, to profit in advance from the benefits of the revision of the Convention and to increase the effectiveness of Eurocontrol,

INVITES the Commission

- to submit to the Council in 1999 a communication on recent and ongoing measures aimed at reducing air traffic delays and congestion in Europe, so as to enable the Council to evaluate the impact of such actions and decide, if necessary, on new initiatives to be taken,

- to propose adequate measures such as the systematic publication of punctuality indicators to continue to keep the public informed about developments in this field where they are not yet carried out,

AGREES to return to the issue of air traffic delays in Europe before the end of the year 1999.