WRITTEN QUESTION E-4125/97 by Claude Desama (PSE) to the Council (22 January 1998)

Subject: The situation at Eurocontrol

Eurocontrol is in practice losing the characteristics of an organization governed by public international law. It was established as such by a Convention signed in 1963 by several European countries, but now, owing to the revision of the texts by which it was established, day-to-day management of the organization is quite plainly going adrift.

This situation goes far beyond the need to adapt to obvious current requirements and is resulting in the organization quite simply being taken over by private companies, which is blatantly contrary to, and represents a complete break with, its traditions and its role as an international organization governed by public law.

For several years, the setting of Eurocontrol's objectives and implementation of its resources has been in the hands of external consultants and various contractors (almost 400 altogether!) who are not air traffic specialists and whose sole interest lies in producing expensive reports, which are often of no use, rather than in helping to create an integrated and coherent air traffic control and management system.

This situation has already resulted in the dismissal of many of the agency's officials and also in the accumulation of an ECU 400 million debt in five years.

Is the Council planning to take steps to improve the situation and thus halt the destruction of an organization whose expertise and resources are being squandered for the benefit of private interests and, ultimately, at the expense of the Member States and to the detriment of the safety of European citizens?

Answer (30 March 1998)

The European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) is an international organization which incorporates the Member States of the European Union (except for Finland) and thirteen other European States.

On 6 November 1996 the Commission submitted to the Council a recommendation that the Commission be authorized to negotiate European Community membership of that organization. That recommendation is being examined by the Council's subordinate bodies.

For years now the Council has been giving priority to problems of air traffic control, particularly in its Resolution 89/C189/02 of 18 July 1989 and the conclusions of 29 and 30 March 1990. Its action resulted in a significant number of Member States, including Denmark, Spain, Italy, Austria and Sweden, joining Eurocontrol.

On 19 July 1993 the Council adopted Directive 93/65/EEC on the definition and use of compatible technical specifications for the procurement of air-traffic-management equipment and systems.

On 17 November 1995 the Council adopted a Resolution on problems caused by congestion and crisis situations in air traffic in Europe.

The Honourable Member can rest assured that the Council confirms the need to continue and intensify the work of Eurocontrol, the Convention on which has just been revised (27 June 1997), so as to address and resolve the problems of air traffic in Europe, possibly even by considering the European Community's accession to that international organization.

As regards matters of Eurocontrol's internal organization, such as the Honourable Member alludes to in his Question, it is not for the Council to take a position in an area where only certain Member States, and not the Community, are qualified to act.