Commission Regulation (EC) No 1324/2001 of 29 June 2001 amending Regulation (EEC) No 1617/93 as regards consultations on passenger tariffs and slot allocation at airports

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1324/2001
of 29 June 2001
amending Regulation (EEC) No 1617/93 as regards consultations on passenger tariffs and slot allocation at airports
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 3976/87 of 14 December 1987 on the application of Article 85(3) of the Treaty to certain categories of agreements and concerted practices in the air transport sector(1), as last amended by the Act of Accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden, and in particular Article 2 thereof,
Having published a draft of this Regulation(2),
Having consulted the Advisory Committee on Agreements and Dominant Positions in Air Transport,
Whereas:
(1) By Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1617/93(3), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1083/1999(4), the Commission granted a block exemption for, among other things, consultation on tariffs for the carriage of passengers and their baggage on scheduled air services and slot allocation at airports and airport scheduling. That Regulation is applicable until 30 June 2001.
(2) The Commission has initiated a consultation on whether the block exemption for consultations on passenger tariffs should be maintained in its current form. That consultation will be completed by the end of 2001. Following that consultation, the Commission may make proposals for a new block exemption or initiate an individual procedure. The current block exemption for consultations on passenger tariffs should therefore be extended for one year.
(3) The reasons obtaining in 1993 for granting a block exemption for agreements and concerted practices on slot allocation and airport scheduling of air services between airports within the Community remain fully valid today. It is therefore appropriate to extend that block exemption. In order to allow for the possibility of adapting this block exemption once the envisaged amendments to Council Regulation (EEC) No 95/93 of 18 January 1993 on common rules for the allocation of slots at Community airports(5) are adopted, that extension should be granted for three years.
(4) Regulation (EEC) No 1617/93 should therefore be amended accordingly,