The EU's Council of transport ministers will meet in Luxembourg on Monday 29 October under the Presidency of Cyprus and will be chaired by Minister Florentzou.
Vice-President Siim Kallas, responsible for transport and mobility, will represent the European Commission in the discussion on Airport slots, Roadworthiness tests, the Maritime Labour Convention, Tachograph, EU/Eurocontrol agreement. Furthermore the Commission will inform the Council on the latest developments of the inclusion of aviation in the European Emission Trading System (ETS) and the deterioration of relations with Russia, particularly regarding aviation.
Airports slots
On 1 December 2011, the Commission submitted to the European Parliament and the Council a proposal for a Regulation on common rules for the allocation of slots at European Union airports. This proposal is part of the so-called “airport package”, a set of three legislative proposals aimed at fostering competitiveness in European airports and at increasing their performance in terms of efficiency, quality and resilience.
The general objective of this proposal is to ensure that the allocation and use of airport slots in congested airports is effective, also by enhancing fair competition and competitiveness between operators. It amends Council Regulation (EEC) No 95/93 of 18 January 1993 on common rules for the allocation of slots at Community airports, the current basic act establishing the rules and procedures on slots allocation. The Commission’s proposal would increase the capacity of airports to handle an additional 24 million passengers per year and 5 billion economic benefits on the period 2012-2025.
The Presidency is seeking a Council agreement in the form of “General Approach” on an amended text, which, if adopted, would reduce considerably the benefits expected by the European Commission, in terms of passenger journeys possible through our crowded airports and the associated economic benefits, identified by the Commission in its proposal.
The European Parliament is expected to vote on the proposal in December 2012.
