WRITTEN QUESTION E-1781/02 by Luciano Caveri (ELDR) to the Commission. Aviation safety.
Date: 2002-06-24
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: International Civil Aviation Organisation, air safety, air traffic control, air transport, airport, navigation aid, organisation of transport, safety device, safety standard, trans-European network

14.8.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 192 E/17

with one voice on foreign policy and puts its money where its mouth is on defence, America will take it
seriously, not before’.

Observing what it calls the ‘dawning of a new age of close American-Russian co-operation’, the German
daily Die Welt observes that in the face of this new friendship between President Bush and President Putin
‘Europe resembles an old man who cannot keep pace with the advance of new ideas.’ ‘If it does not wish to
be left behind’, the paper says, ‘Europe must re-arm, build up its military capability and play its part in the
defence against global threats.’

Does the Commission accept that the United States is much more likely to treat Europe as a full partner in
the area of foreign policy if Europe is able to demonstrate a real commitment towards burden-sharing in
defence, and,
if so, does the Commission accept that until that moment arrives that accusations of
‘unilateralism’ are likely not only to be resented but to be counterproductive?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(26 July 2002)

It is plainly the case that the more the Union can contribute in the security field, including militarily, the
more seriously it will be taken in the world. That is one reason why meeting the headline goals agreed at
the Helsinki European Council is so important.

But it is also important to be clear about the scale of the contribution the Union is already making in
international security operations. 39,000 troops from Union’s Member States are currently keeping the
the
peace in the Balkans, some 67 % of
International Security Assistance Force includes 3 500 troops from Union’s Member States (cid:1) 68 % of the
total. Troops from several Member States have also contributed to the combat operations against Al Qaeda
in Afghanistan. Moreover, security is a wider concept. The Union, with its Member States, is a massive
provider of development assistance, providing about 55 % of total international assistance and as much as
two thirds of all grant aid. That too is a contribution to international security, in which the Union is
playing a pivotal role.

the total deployed in NATO operations.

In Afghanistan,

The Commission does not accept that it is counterproductive to speak up when there are important
In this ever more
disagreements with the United States: that is the duty of real
interconnected world, it is all the more important to work with those who share your values.

friends and allies.

The Commissioner in charge of External Relations gave a detailed presentation on the issues raised by the
in a speech on ‘the European Union Foreign Policy and the Challenges of
Honourable Member
Globalisation’ at the Asia-Europe Foundation, in Singapore, on the 5 of April 2002. It is available on the
Commission website (1).

(1) http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/news/patten/sp04_02global.htm.

(2003/C 192 E/017)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1781/02

by Luciano Caveri (ELDR) to the Commission

(24 June 2002)

Subject: Aviation safety

Irrespective of the findings of the various investigations into the air crash in Milan on 18 April, which
occurred when a light aircraft struck Pirelli Tower,
the crash poses certain questions concerning
supervision and future technical choices. Suffice to say, with regard to supervision, that neither the Cessna
CJ2 aircraft, nor the pilot, should have been in the air that day, because the weather conditions called for a
category 3 status, and they could only fly in category 1 conditions.

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14.8.2003

There are also more general questions concerning: adequate on-board equipment (in the first place a
‘transponder’) on all general aviation aircraft operating in areas adjacent to busy flight paths; general
aviation access to major airports under instrument flight (IFR) only; restriction of general aviation activities
under visual flight (VFR) to areas remote from major airports and major population centres; the swift
implementation of Automatic Dependent Surveillance with continuous data flow Broadcast
(ADS-B
system), once Europe has made a firm choice as to which data-link to use.

Lastly, one should not forget the raft of measures that the USA is adopting in this field following the
attacks on the Twin Towers in September 2001.

What are the Commission’s observations on this assessment?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(14 August 2002)

Under the present circumstances, the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) documents and
annexes provide guidance to States concerning the operating conditions, pilot qualifications and aircraft
equipage related to Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) conditions. The translation,
application and supervision of these rules and annexes are the responsibility of the States concerned and
their designated authorities, acting under the cover of the Joint Aviation Authority (JAA).

In line with their responsibilities States promulgate legislation and orders in the relevant publications
(Aeronautical Information Publication, National Air Navigation Orders) concerning:

(cid:1) the carriage of transponders which is regulated by the type of flight (private, passenger, cargo etc) and

the quality of the airspace within which the flight will take place;

(cid:1) the availability of major airport to flights according to the nature of the flight and the flight
immigration,

conditions. This may be related to the service capability of
emergency services, customs etc) concerned and the Air Traffic services provided;

the airport

(security,

(cid:1) the restrictions on general aviation VFR (and IFR) flights to areas remote from major airports and
major population centre. These are usually related to sites of strategic importance such as military
installations, power stations, government buildings etc. In general, major population centres will also
have a minimum over-flight altitude restriction.

However the effectiveness of the above process is hampered by the current lack of a strong European
regulator which could impose uniform, precise and enforceable obligations on various players. The case of
the compliance of the flight plan with minimum operating conditions (such as weather) is a good example.
The actual system does not give guarantees against abuses.

The Single Sky initiative (1) aims at remedying this situation by introducing a regulatory framework to
reinforce air traffic management and make it subject to harmonised Community rules.

It will also allow speeding up the introduction of the necessary equipment and tools, which could improve
safety. An example quoted by the Honourable Member is the installation of ADS-B (automatic dependent
surveillance (cid:1) broadcast) systems on board of all aircraft since it will allow the pilots of suitably equipped
aircraft to know at any moment the situation of the air traffic around them. The Commission is actively
contributing to developments in this domain through the Research Programme and through Trans
European Transport Networks.

(1) COM(2001) 123 final and COM(2001) 564 final.