WRITTEN QUESTION E-1618/00

by Gianfranco Dell'Alba (TDI) to the Commission

(29 May 2000)

Subject: Speculation and Malpensa 2000

The new international airport at Malpensa was deemed by the Essen European Council to be of strategic importance for the development of European infrastructure and worthy of substantial Community funding. For over three years now, an interminable struggle has been going on between the Italian Government and the Commission over issues that are increasingly vague and confused. These continual arguments and the consequent delays are costing northern Italy dear and jeopardising its development prospects.

Despite the bitter arguments between the company running Milan's airports and British Airways, an English company has been given the task of drawing up an opinion on the functioning of Malpensa 2000, as well as the relevant environmental impact study.

In addition, the former head of the private office of Commissioner Neil Kinnock, who was responsible for transport in the previous Commission, has ill-advisedly moved to a managerial position at British Airways and it is no coincidence that the latter company is one of the fiercest opponents of Malpensa 2000.

The German airline Lufthansa has stubbornly opposed the full operational functioning of the new hub in the north of Italy, or what could be called south central Europe, to the point where it has sought to concentrate all its traffic on the old Milanese airport of Linate.

Does the Commission not think it necessary to clarify once and for all the terms of the agreements entered into with the Italian state and ensure that they are carried out?

Does it not consider that any further vagueness and uncertainty on the part of Community bodies will foster a poisonous climate of suspicion concerning the existence of an Anglo-German conspiracy bent on sabotaging the Malpensa 2000 project, with the ramifications this will have in Brussels?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(28 September 2000)

The Commission would like to remind the Honourable Member that it has contributed to the financing of the Milan airport of Malpensa. Therefore, the Commission is interested in seeing Malpensa established as intended and with a proper possibility for further development. The rules laid down by the Italian authorities in relation to such establishment must however conform with Community law and it was for this reason

that by decision 1998/710/EC of 16 September 1998(1) the Commission disapproved the initial rules on traffic distribution. The issues at stake were not vague and confused but set out clearly in the publication in the Official Journal of that decision. Since then, environmental concerns have intervened and measures were taken by the Italian Government by virtue of Decree of 13 December 1999 of Prime Minister D'Alema. These measures entered formally into force on 26 March 2000 and thereupon into an experimental phase until 26 June 2000.

The uncertain situation created by these measures combined with new traffic distribution rules between the two airports of Milan Linate and Malpensa adopted by Decree of 3 March 2000, has led to a series of complaints lodged by twelve major air carriers with the Commission.

In order for the Commission to examine whether these measures are in conformity with Community law an in depth analysis by an independent expert of the real capacity of Malpensa at present and in the future taking into account the constraints resulting from the applicable environmental measures was required. Such expert, as well as previous external experts who have worked on the Malpensa case, has been chosen by the Commission following a transparent, impartial and non-discriminatory tender based selection procedure at Community level. The results of the study became available in August permitting thus the Commission thereafter to take a fully informed position on the new Italian rules.

On the issue of Mr Andrew Cahn, former Chief of Staff of Commissioner Kinnock, pursuing his career outside the Commission, the Commission has already answered to Written Question E-1664/00 put by the Honourable Member to the Commission, where it stated that after a very thorough consideration of Mr Cahn's new appointment he was formally authorised to take up his new post. Also, Commissioner Kinnock presented to the Honourable Members on 3 May 2000, the current arrangements relating to the appointment of Permanent and Temporary officials outside the Commission and affirmed the consistency of the new duties of Mr Cahn with the relevant rules.

(1) OJ L 337, 12.12.1998.