Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget
Strategija zrakoplovstva
Opinion factsheet
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Opinion number:
CDR-0007-2016
Status:
Usvojeno
Objective
Aviation is a powerful driver of economic growth, jobs, trade and mobility in the European Union. Aviation is also extremely important for territorial cohesion, not least because it can give peripheral and sparsely populated regions access to larger common markets. In view of this, the Commission saw a need for a coherent European aviation strategy with the goal of strengthening the competitiveness and sustainability of the entire EU air transport value network.
It is important for an aviation strategy for Europe to take account of the different circumstances faced by different types of regions within Europe, and of the difference between western and eastern Europe in terms of connectivity and the number of routes flown. For regions with hub airports, the rise in competition from new operators, airlines and airports outside Europe presents a tangible threat, and the long-term development of many hubs is also constrained by a lack of capacity. The conditions for market entry and competition are crucial issues for these regions. In more peripheral regions with small populations, public subsidies are often needed to keep airports and public-sector transport going. For many regions in between these two extremes, one of the key questions is how to promote higher-quality connectivity by expanding routes. The rules regarding initiatives to support the establishment of new routes are an important issue for these areas. It is essential for the regional level to have opportunities to influence their own region's connectivity. In addition to general market conditions, this involves the regulatory framework and conditions for expanding routes, such as support for the development of new destinations, destination marketing and support for airport operation and air traffic.
It is important for an aviation strategy for Europe to take account of the different circumstances faced by different types of regions within Europe, and of the difference between western and eastern Europe in terms of connectivity and the number of routes flown. For regions with hub airports, the rise in competition from new operators, airlines and airports outside Europe presents a tangible threat, and the long-term development of many hubs is also constrained by a lack of capacity. The conditions for market entry and competition are crucial issues for these regions. In more peripheral regions with small populations, public subsidies are often needed to keep airports and public-sector transport going. For many regions in between these two extremes, one of the key questions is how to promote higher-quality connectivity by expanding routes. The rules regarding initiatives to support the establishment of new routes are an important issue for these areas. It is essential for the regional level to have opportunities to influence their own region's connectivity. In addition to general market conditions, this involves the regulatory framework and conditions for expanding routes, such as support for the development of new destinations, destination marketing and support for airport operation and air traffic.
Impact
The CoR, together with the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU, was holding a high-level conference on ‘Improving the regional air connectivity for Europe – a precondition for sustainable economic growth’ on 23 March 2017.
The conference brought together leading representatives of key institutions and organisations that, as part of their daily mission, can help the EU aviation sector increase competitiveness and create economic growth. Achieving these objectives requires trustful stakeholder dialogue and clear and positive leadership at European, national and regional level.
The panelists focused on regional connectivity, in the context of the implementation of the Aviation strategy for Europe, and will attempt to identify the challenges and opportunities in achieving better and more sustainable connectivity between regions across the continent.
The conference brought together leading representatives of key institutions and organisations that, as part of their daily mission, can help the EU aviation sector increase competitiveness and create economic growth. Achieving these objectives requires trustful stakeholder dialogue and clear and positive leadership at European, national and regional level.
The panelists focused on regional connectivity, in the context of the implementation of the Aviation strategy for Europe, and will attempt to identify the challenges and opportunities in achieving better and more sustainable connectivity between regions across the continent.
Essential points
THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
- draws attention to the fact that the local and regional authorities have a crucial role to play in the development of airports and of aviation, by virtue of their responsibility for the population's quality of life, environmental conditions, and the spatial and physical planning involved;
- supports the proposal to develop strategic planning for the management of airport capacity at EU level in a situation where there are shortages at a number of large airports, while at the same time a large number of airports are underused;
- notes that the conditions for a region's development largely depend on the quality of its connectivity. From the regional perspective, good connectivity is the primary benefit that the aviation sector is expected to deliver;
- regrets the fact that the Commission has not highlighted the role of regional airports and their importance for aviation development in the strategy. The balanced approach which the Commission intends to adopt under the Guidelines on State aid to airports and airlines (OJ C 99, 4.4.2014, p. 3) should take account of the need for regional development and connectivity for all Europe's regions, especially sparsely populated, peripheral and outermost regions, where there is an obvious risk of regional needs not being met by the market;
- sees great potential for the use of drones at local and regional level, not least in more sparsely populated parts of Europe, and it supports the ambition of putting Europe in a leading position in the development of drone technology and use. The Committee of the Regions would like to see basic risk-based, harmonised regulation of all drone use at EU level, in line with the principle of subsidiarity, and it underlines the need for dialogue between EASA and relevant players at national, regional and local level within the Member States.