Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-03-29-Speech-3-070"
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"en.20000329.6.3-070"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, one thing is crystal clear: on 4 May, the ‘Hushkits’ regulation enters into force in the European Union. That is all we know for sure. From then on we will have to see how we can carry on negotiating with the United States.
The objective of this regulation is very clear: to achieve compliance with what has been agreed within the ICAO, that is to say, that the aircraft landing at our airports genuinely conform to the noise standards of the ICAO. This regulation has no further intention, but I believe we need to be more ambitious. The current standards, as Mr Blokland has reminded us, date from 1978. Since then, world aeronautical technology has made great advances. Today, the noise levels of current aircraft can sometimes be 20, 40 or even 50 times lower than those of older aircraft.
It is therefore a question of achieving new noise levels as international standards within the ICAO. In this respect, we need to cooperate with the Americans who, after all, are our friends and allies.
The fact that this regulation will enter into force soon does not mean that we do not have to carry on negotiating with the Americans with the aim of improving the situation with regard to noise standards within the ICAO. What can we negotiate? We can negotiate two things:
Firstly, we are going to seek higher international standards within the framework of the ICAO, we are going to cooperate within the ICAO and we are going to seek a common objective, which will be to reduce noise at airports even further and thereby achieve lower noise levels, by applying more modern technologies, with a phasing out period for the most noisy aircraft with the establishment of a chapter 4.
Secondly, the Americans must suspend their complaint to the ICAO in accordance with Article 84 and we – this is something we could negotiate – could suspend the part of the regulation which refers to third country airlines; but certainly not in reference to European airlines, since that regulation enters into force on 4 May. In other words, with regard to European airlines, there is nothing more to say: we can only negotiate with regard to third country airlines – for which we have some leeway until 2002 – and we would have to suspend that part. Obviously, when we reach a new agreement within the ICAO, the Community standards will be adapted to the new ICAO standards, which, in any event, will be better than those laid down in the present regulations.
Ladies and gentlemen, Mr Hatzidakis asked me who we are negotiating with and Mrs Jackson reminded us of the meeting they have had with Mr Slater, the Secretary of State for Transport. I have negotiated with many people from the United States administration. The only problem is that what is required – and I hope that at some point we will obtain it – is not only negotiations but also the confirmation that the preliminary agreements reached with the particular negotiator on duty receive the backing of the United States administration.
I have kept you informed promptly and with complete transparency throughout all this time. I am not going to expand on what the stages have been, since you are perfectly familiar with them. The last took place on Monday, with Mr Slater. Agreement could conceivably be reached on the basic ideas which I presented to him, and we will continue to work on it. Therefore, Mrs Jackson, what the Financial Times said is not true at all. Only if there is in agreement on the other aspects would I come to Parliament to ask for your support for a postponement with regard to third country airlines, for a suspension of the provision of the regulation in this specific respect.
I hope that, between us all, we can reach this agreement."@en1
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