Aviation Strategy: ALDE votes the Commission’s approach to ensure competition and connectivity in the EU
The Transport and Tourism Committee voted today in favour a new Regulation to safeguard competition in air transport, replacing Regulation (EC) No 868/2004, which complements the “Aviation Strategy for Europe” launched in December 2015.
Aviation is one of the sectors where the EU has been the most successful in the past and increased travel possibilities while lowering prices for passengers, but we are now struggling to move ahead and our industry is at risk of missing on opportunities. In a context of increased international competition, we should not give in to the temptation of protectionism but rather build on our knowledge and abilities and further develop a real European Aviation Model for EU airlines to remain competitive.
ALDE TRAN-Coordinator and shadow on this file Pavel Telička said:
“This regulation is an essential part of the EU toolbox for the competitiveness of our aviation sector. We need both a continuous engagement with third countries to open up new opportunities for our European airlines, and an efficient mechanism to address situations of proven unfair competition with third countries. I believe the TRAN committee achieved a solid position and ALDE contributed in improving the transparency of the process, the capacity of the Commission to act in urgent situations and its accountability before the European Parliament. I hope the Council will deliver its position in time for us to start and conclude negotiations in the next months: this is an important dossier that we have been waiting for long enough, and there is no more time to lose.”
More info: david.vidal@europarl.europa.eu
