Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-01-28-Speech-3-085"
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"en.20040128.7.3-085"2
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"Mr President, you claim to be achieving what you call the single European sky, but even the small amount of progress made to overcome the divisions and rivalries between states, which are particularly absurd in the field of aviation, are more than offset by the increased competition between private airlines, and even air traffic control is handed over to the race for private profit.
Behind the term ‘single sky’ is the race to privatise the old national carriers. This policy has already resulted in thousands of redundancies in the aeronautical sector. At this very moment, massive redundancies have been announced or are under way at Alitalia, at KLM, which is controlled by Air France, and in other large airlines. It is obvious what the privatised airlines’ shareholders have to gain from the reduction in personnel, not only flight staff, but also those involved in maintenance and safety checks. But this profit-driven approach means that passengers are running growing risks.
To continue with this policy after the Lake Constance disaster 18 months ago, which was a direct consequence of the privatisation of air traffic control in Switzerland, is criminal. As for the Sharm el-Sheikh disaster, even if the precise technical cause is not yet known, everyone knows that the airlines, including the one that owned that aircraft, make their profits by turning their aircraft round more quickly, extending their flying time, taking on staff who are less well paid and often not trained well enough or by cutting maintenance and technical inspections to the mandatory minimum. Even the major airlines are doing the same, hounded by the competition.
The quest for profit is not compatible with the quest for safety. We will vote for the amendments aimed at improving safety, but we are against every aspect of a policy that is based on competition, whether or not regulated at European level, because it will create an enormous mess and can only end in disaster."@en1
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