WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2110/97 by Jessica LARIVE to the Commission. Disaster control at EU airports
Date: 1997-06-23
Institutions: European Parliament, LARIVE
Subjects: International Civil Aviation Organisation, air safety, air transport, airport, competence of the Member States, first aid, transport accident, transport safety

C 45/158

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

10. 2. 98

According to information received from the French Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the profession of
special needs teacher is not regulated in France and there is no national obstacle to the exercise of this profession
on French territory. The Commission has approached the French authorities, asking them to make it quite clear to
individuals  in  possession  of  diplomas  awarded  in  other  Member  States  that  there  is  no  legal  obstacle  to  the
exercise of this profession and that they do not even have to apply to have their diplomas recognised.

The Commission is, of course, willing to examine any complaint from individuals who, in breach of the Treaty
articles relating to freedom of movement as interpreted by the courts, have found themselves at a disadvantage in
comparison  with  holders  of  national  diplomas  simply  because  their  qualifications  were  obtained  in  another
Member State.

(1)  Directive 89/48/EEC of 21 December 1988 (OJ L 19, 24 January 1989) and Directive 92/51/EEC of 18 June 1992 (OJ L 209, 24 July 1992).

(98/C 45/207)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2110/97

by Jessica Larive (ELDR) to the Commission

(23 June 1997)

Subject: Disaster control at EU airports

Following the disaster involving the Belgian air force Hercules at Eindhoven airport, a report on (cid:145)Coping with
aircraft accidents at airports(cid:146) was recently commissioned by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the
report looks at disaster control plans at aiports in the Netherlands. It shows that disaster control plans are poorly
organized, that there is virtually no communication between the various services involved and that they have no
real contact with each other.

Does the Commission agree that Member States should be encouraged to carry out similar inquiries if they

1.
have not already done so?

2.
Does the Commission agree that the increase in air traffic in Europe calls for a proper approach to disaster
control at all European airports, and that air passengers should be informed of which airports in Europe comply
with the requirements of proper disaster control?

Does the Commission have any information on the approach to disaster control at civilian and military

3.
airports in the EU?

4.
Have  any  cross-border  agreements  been  made  between  airport  management  bodies,  fire  brigades,
ambulance services and local authorities in the EU and, if not, does the Commission not feel that this should be
done, certainly in the context of the euregions, and is it prepared to take any action in this respect?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(15 July 1997)

Responsibility for the provision of airport services, including safety and emergency services, has always rested
mainly on national authorities.

When organising such services, Member States are required to apply the standards adopted by the International
civil  aviation  organisation  (ICAO),  as  well  as  related  recommended  practices.  ICAO  has  also  developed  an
airport manual describing best practices for managing airport safety, in particular, how to organise emergency
services in case of accident.

It appears, nevertheless, that airports are not always fully aware of their role and responsibilities in this domain
and that the distribution of responsibilities among various parties is not sufficiently clear.

The  Commission  therefore  considers  it  appropriate  to  create  a  common  safety  regulatory  regime  for  the
provision of airport services. It has suggested in its proposals for the creation of a European Aviation Safety
Authority that this body should be charged with the task, so that airport operators would need to be certified by an
independent safety regulator and, to obtain the necessary approval, would have to demonstrate that satisfactory
emergency plans exist and can work effectively.