Raad Vervoer, Telecommunicatie en Energie praat over veiligheid burgerluchtvaart en investeringen in energienetwerken (en)

The Spanish Minister for Public Works, José Blanco, will chair the Council on 11 March, which will be addressing air traffic accident investigations and safety in transport, aviation and airports.

The Council will discuss the investigation and prevention of accidents and incidents in civil aviation; safety and security in this sector, and measures applied in airports.

The EU-27 will try to reach a decision on a proposal for regulations that will make it obligatory for airlines to disclose the passenger list after an accident and will create a European investigation network.

European Union countries are in favour of forcing airlines to provide a passenger list within one or two hours of an accident while also respecting victims' right to privacy.

EU legislation on air traffic accidents dates back fifteen years and only requires Member States to carry out a preventive investigation following an accident without establishing responsibility or liability for the incident.

European Union members agree that this regulation is inadequate for the current situation and should be revised but are reluctant to establish new EU-wide requirements in an area that is traditionally regulated at a national level.

The regulations for the investigation and prevention of air traffic accidents were proposed by the European Commission last October and are still awaiting a first reading in the European Parliament.

“Open skies”

The ministers will also analyse the progress made in negotiations with the United States to launch the second stage of the "Open Skies" agreement and they are confident of resolving their differences before the end of the year.

The United States and the European Union are due to hold a new round of negotiations from 23 to 25 March in Brussels. Both sides agreed to deregulate transatlantic air traffic services in 2007 and they are now negotiating a second phase of the agreement that will allow new air routes to be opened up and will support the operations of European and US companies.

Energy Council

The meeting of the Energy Council is to be held on 12 March chaired by the Spanish Secretary of State, Pedro Luis Marín, and will address the regulations on notifying the Commission about energy infrastructure investment projects.

It is hoped that the Council will adopt conclusions on the so-called SET-Plan, which will help to speed up and develop the application of clean, sustainable and efficient energy technologies.

As part of the preparations for the European Council on 25 and 26 March, the ministers from the EU-27 will also discuss energy matters related to the European strategy for growth and employment.