Conferentie over implementatie één Europees Luchtruim (en)

The Polish Minister of Transport, Construction and Maritime Economy, Slawomir Nowak, met in Warsaw on 28thNovember with the Deputy President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Transport, Siim Kallas i, at a High Level Conference devoted to ‘Implementation of the Single European Sky and its extension to Third Countries’, held under the auspices of the Polish Presidency.

In a conversation with Commissioner Kallas, Minister Nowak underscored the importance of the cohesion policy to leveling development differences between ‘old’ and ‘new’ Member States. Nowak reaffirmed Poland's commitment to cooperate with the European Commission in all undertakings designed to advance European integration.

Kallas welcomed the prospect of policy continuation and highlighted Poland's role in the EU as a key partner for the EC, and a bridge between the eastern and western parts of the EU as well as to countries of the Eastern Partnership.

In his opening address to the conference, Nowak underlined the importance of air transport in implementing the four freedoms of the European Union: ‘Aviation is a crucial component of transport. And transport embodies the fundamental values of the European Union and our common Europe: free movement of people, goods and services. That is a fundamental EU principle. Accordingly, aviation as a component of the transport sector is crucial to the implementation of this fundamental value in the Union.’

Nowak described the Single European Sky as an extremely ambitious project involving civil aviation. ‘If we are to fully introduce uniform airspace not only for Member States but also for third countries, we need to upgrade the operational capacity of air transport as well as ensure greater safety and efficiency, whilst simultaneously respecting the natural environment.’

The Minister noted the need for closer cooperation between the Member States of the EU and their non-Union neighbours to the East and South. ‘As far as Poland is concerned, the external dimension of single airspace, that is an ability to cooperate, implies extension of the open-sky concept to third countries. Poland is a frontier state of the EU, and a vast part of the European continent that is not in the Union lies beyond our borders. That is the reason why the Polish Presidency has laid such great emphasis on bearing in mind the EU’s other dimensions of the EU — its southern and eastern ones.’.

Commissioner Kallas described the single airspace as one of the most ambitious EU projects in the transport sector. He mentioned the reduction of service prices and environmental protection as key challenges.

Jacek Krawczyk, Vice President of the European Economic and Social Committee, highlighted the need of extending SES II regulations to third countries: ‘The Pan-European dimension of the single airspace is absolutely crucial, since it doesn't end at the EU’s borders. That is why I remain a tireless advocate of extending the project to our eastern neighbours,’ Krawczyk explained. He further underlined the role of social dialogue in the implementation of the single airspace and the need for open reporting and its appropriate quality.

The conference was organised by the Polish Ministry of Transport, Construction and Maritime Economy in cooperation with the European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee.

Conference participants included Matthew Baldwin, Director of Air Transport (European Commission), Patrick Goudou, Executive Director, European Aviation Safety Agency, and Luc Tytgat, Director of the Single Sky Directorate, Eurocontrol.