Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-09-20-Speech-1-044"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20100920.17.1-044"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, EU transport policy is not just a set of economic objectives; it is also and, above all, the will to guarantee the highest possible passenger safety standards.
It is clearly stated that the Agency, as the body responsible for certification, should not, under any circumstances, investigate accidents, because it cannot be both judge and party. However, it must be able to access the information necessary for its certification duties, and offer the safety investigation the benefit of its expertise. This is why the regulation stipulates that, pursuant to Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention, the EASA will participate in investigations as an adviser.
The third advance in the regulation: the creation of a network of safety investigation authorities, which formalises and strengthens the cooperation which already exists between Member States. This network, as well as having a flexible structure, without independent legal status, will help improve the quality of safety investigations due, in particular, to increased cooperation between Member States, the sharing of good practice and improved investigator training.
Furthermore, this regulation also deals with the relationships between judicial inquiries and technical safety investigations, and here too, it represents real progress, despite the diversity of legal systems in Member States, primarily by ensuring that safety investigators have immediate unrestricted access to evidence, and then by establishing prior agreements between judicial authorities and investigation offices.
Finally, and this is what I deemed the most important aspect: the protection of victims and their families. The text stipulates that a list of all the persons on board an aircraft must be made available within two hours of the notification of the occurrence of an accident to that aircraft, which will reduce the distressing waiting period for families.
Furthermore, this regulation establishes a whole series of measures intended for victims’ families. They include the option, when reserving seats, to name a contact person to be notified in the event of an accident; an obligation to notify families of the progress of an investigation before it is made public; confidentiality with regard to the names of people on board the aircraft, if their families so request; the appointment of a contact person to liaise with the victims’ families throughout the entire investigation; the obligation for Member States to have an accident emergency plan; the obligation for all airline companies established in Europe to have a crisis response plan, incorporating, among other things, psychological support for families; and, finally, a reminder of the obligation of all airlines operating in the EU to have minimum insurance cover to compensate victims’ families.
The final important point in the regulation is the issue of occurrence reports, and this is a major advance in the area of accident prevention, because the text stipulates that the EASA and the competent authorities of the Member States must have access to the central repository for air incidents. This repository will be analysed so that preventive measures can be taken and accidents therefore prevented.
These are the main thrusts of the compromise. I should like to offer my warm thanks to the shadow rapporteurs, with whom we have had an excellent working relationship, and who have enabled us to achieve this outcome.
This is an objective which we have come close to over the last few years, and we must therefore continue our efforts in order to ensure an optimum level of air safety. This is the context in which we are today discussing the proposal for a regulation on the investigation and prevention of accidents and incidents in civil aviation.
Following several weeks of difficult negotiations, by summer, we managed to reach a first-reading agreement with the Council guaranteeing real progress in the areas of accident investigations and prevention and of support for victims’ families. If the text is adopted tomorrow, it will mean that the measures set out in this text will be able to come into force at the end of 2010.
What are the measures set out in this report? Firstly, this regulation strengthens the independence of safety investigations and investigators. The latter will have guaranteed access to evidence and be given the resources necessary to determine the causes of an accident.
The second important point: this text also clarifies the role of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in the event of an air accident; it is clearly stated that the Agency, as the body responsible for certification …
Well, nobody seems to be interested. I can stop if you want. I cannot even hear myself speak."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
"(More noise in the Chamber)"1
"(Noise in the Chamber"1
"(The President invited the speaker to continue)"1
"the President called for silence)"1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples