WRITTEN QUESTION E-4126/97 by Claude Desama (PSE) to the Commission (21 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 Commission 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 given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission (9 February 1998)

The Commission considers it essential for the smooth development of the Community's air liberalisation policy that European air space offers sufficient capacity to manage future traffic growth both efficiently and safely. To this end, in March 1996, the Commission adopted a White Paper on Air Traffic Management ((COM(96) 57. )) in which it recommended a reorganisation of the institutional arrangements for the supply of air traffic control services.

The Commission proposed a separation of operational and regulatory functions, in which the regulatory function should be entrusted to a reorganised Eurocontrol in order that this function be executed efficiently and independently of the different interests involved. This approach was supported by the Parliament, particularly in its resolution in response to the White Paper ((OJ C 33, 3.2.1997. )).

The Commission has made every effort to influence current initiatives to revise the Eurocontrol Convention to this end and success has been achieved in that since this organisation will have increased powers and an executive that is less dependent on national interests.

Future achievement will largely depend on the Agency's ability to fulfil its new role with the desired neutrality and authority. It would, however, be wrong to conclude that the organisation will lose its international and public service character since the objective of this reform is the very opposite. Further, the Commission has proposed that the Community become a full member of this organisation and the Council has recently agreed to this. This should ensure that future developments will be in the appropriate direction.

That is also true for the control of the management of Eurocontrol. The new Convention provides for a closer control of the Agency by means of an Audit Board. However, the participation of the Community, in the main political bodies of the organisation will be a further guarantee of the necessary transparency and democratic control to avoid the deficiencies which the Honourable Member seems to fear.