Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-04-24-Speech-2-379"
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"en.20070424.49.2-379"2
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".
Mr President, I am much obliged to the Commissioner for his introductory words. Let me also thank my honourable colleagues for the fact that we have jointly managed to produce a report which, in its main elements, constitutes a very cohesive document. May I say that this coordinated effort should not be underestimated.
It is always said of us Austrians that we have an affinity with the Balkans, and this is one reason why I am pleased that we have just reached an agreement with the Balkan States which regulates our common development in a particular area of activity and provides for a step-by-step approach that responds as effectively as possible to the diverse situations in those countries.
The countries of the Balkans, which have lived through extremely difficult times in the recent past, with wars, disputes and nationalist conflicts, differ sharply from each other in terms of their fleets, their infrastructure, their powers of control and their governmental structures. For that precise reason, a differentiated approach has to be adopted. That has undoubtedly been very successfully achieved in the present agreement.
I would like to highlight a few points that will be crucial to our joint efforts. We shall be monitoring this convergence process by means of aid and assistance in the introduction of safety and security measures – and I use the English terms because they enable me to draw a distinction between two aspects of the German word
. It is all about daily routine, of course, about the practical details of everyday working procedures. Needless to say, it must be crystal-clear to us that the conditions have to be fulfilled, that we cannot turn a blind eye to deficiencies but must work together over the next few years on common safety and security rules for European aviation and that these efforts must be accompanied by the creation of market-access mechanisms.
Some points within the general set of rules appear to me to be especially central and important, such as passengers' rights, particularly the rights of passengers with disabilities, which will naturally apply in those countries just as they do in our own. People confined to wheelchairs must not be prevented from travelling by the absence of the appropriate infrastructure and personnel in the Balkan countries. Social dumping in the form of non-compliance with common rules governing working hours must naturally be prevented too, because that is a core issue which has now spread to the aviation sector.
It goes without saying that protection of the environment also plays a major role. Much has been said in the context of this agreement about high growth rates in future air traffic between the European Union and the Balkan countries. This growth must be accompanied by an environmental initiative to reduce emissions and noise levels so as to ensure that increasing volumes of air traffic do not mean sharp rises in environmental pollution.
One final important point concerns the functional airspace blocks. It will be difficult to form a common block or pursue common policies, but I am an incurable old optimist and hope that we can achieve a satisfactory outcome in this area too. We know to our regret, of course, that these things do not always run smoothly, even within the Union, but we can create the conditions for a common system of air-traffic management that serves to reduce emissions and to make life easier for air passengers and for airline and airport staff.
I hope that intergovernmental cooperation in the Balkans under this agreement might be a further step towards mutual understanding in other spheres too."@en1
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"Sicherheit"1
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