Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-03-13-Speech-2-058"
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".
Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, this debate is indeed very timely, for the negotiations have just been completed, and the Transport Council will be delivering its verdict next week. In actual fact, it is only after that that this House will be able to speak out formally about the agreement, by means of a report, which I will then be drafting as soon as possible.
With the resolution, though, which has been compiled on my initiative with the support of the various groups, we want to send a clear message to the Council and the Commission. In a nutshell, Commissioner, you can count on our support, and we are asking the Council to approve the negotiated agreement. This agreement constitutes a major breakthrough on the road towards a fully integrated transatlantic aviation market and offers a way of escaping the legal sword of Damocles that has for some time been hanging over the aviation sector.
Opponents of the agreement are right when they say that there is still an imbalance between the rights which US companies can assert in Europe and the rights which we can assert in the USA. There are historical reasons for this, because the US, thanks to a combination of bilateral agreements, is capable of a great deal more than us. We should not overlook the fact, though, that the European aviation market was not liberalised in one step or overnight. We were clearly in favour of one big agreement, but we think that this is not feasible politically speaking. For European consumers, this agreement is good news. As you stated before, European companies will be able to fly from anywhere in Europe to anywhere in the United States, which will lead to a greater supply and probably a reduction in prices. Moreover, the US has made a number of concessions to grant European companies a little more access to the domestic US market. You gave a few examples a moment ago. What matters to us, though, is that this should be followed up by a second step.
We also think that if we set up a joint committee, this will allow a permanent dialogue, in which a host of aspects with regard to the social dimension, the environment, safety and security, can be addressed. We placed quite a bit of emphasis on this aspect in the resolution, because to us, the liberalisation of the aviation sector, with all its implications, both positive and negative, must coincide with the laying down of high standards in the areas I have just listed. We have noted, for example, that technical cooperation is provided for in the area of the environment so that the most efficient flight routes can be used in future. This is a good thing.
To the doubting Thomases, particularly our British fellow Members, who are under pressure, I should like to say that in my view, they too stand to benefit a great deal from the agreement. More than ever, Heathrow airport will be able to develop into the gateway to America, with more direct connections near British consumers.
Finally, Commissioner, we, for our part, will do our best to bring the subsequent stages to a successful end, by, for example, establishing contact with our counterparts from the Congress. We hope we can count on your continued involvement in future negotiations."@en1
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