Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-10-11-Speech-4-033"
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"en.20071011.4.4-033"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to start by congratulating Mrs Jensen. I am not doing this just as a matter of form but in all sincerity. She has produced an excellent and extremely balanced report. It is clear that both of the topics it had to tackle are extremely important and will demand a great deal of follow-up work on the part of the Commission.
With regard to airport capacity, it is clear that we need a global outlook. The spectacular growth will create problems, which is obvious now already, and they cannot be solved simply by building new airports here and there. In the areas where they are most needed, that will be very difficult or even impossible because of population density and opposition from local residents.
The first thing, therefore, is to make optimum use of the capacity we have now. There are many ways to do that but an integrated approach is absolutely essential. A multi-track policy is needed in which we join forces at all levels. It concerns infrastructure, such as connections to high speed rail lines, good links between cities and airports. It concerns technology.
You have already referred to CESAR, to functional airspace blocks, to the unified air space, as well as to quieter aircraft that will enable local residents to tolerate more flights. It is not simple. However, taking all these measures together they are extremely significant Meanwhile an important step forward is the idea of mapping everything out and producing a master plan for airport capacity by 2009. We are counting on the Commission to do this.
With regard to ground handling, the evaluation of the first steps toward liberalisation, which have been underway for many years now, is not entirely positive. It is clear that prices have fallen and that airlines have benefited from that. On the other hand, the effects on the employees have clearly been problematic.
Trade unions throughout Europe complain about lower wages, poorer working conditions and reduced job security. You know that there is a public call for tenders every seven years: the ground handling companies can be replaced by others, but the personnel have no guarantees that they will be taken on. Trade unions report to us that wages have fallen by an average of 20%. The number of accidents at work is also reported to have increased. These are matters that we really do need to examine more closely. Consequently, it seems to me that we need a new study, not only to give us more recent figures to work with, but also to look at the number and quality of jobs.
In short, Commissioner, these are two fascinating issues that we will certainly want to return to many times in the near future and I think that this report is a good basis for future subsequent."@en1
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