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Can European aviation safety be a factor of competitiveness?

PackageAviationLogo(BRUSSELS2) The document just published on 19 March by the services of the European Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc, on aviation safety is a challenge.

A consultation to improve air competitiveness

This consultation of the various parties involved (professionals, consumers, etc.), published (it is by chance), just a few days after the crash of the A320 of German Wings intends to prepare a new "package" of measures aimed at improving the " European aviation competitiveness (*). Different questions are asked in particular in order to "take the temperature" of the various factors to be improved in air matters, whether in commercial matters, consumer rights, services, air connectivity, etc. Any valid questions...

Three priorities and no more

However, there are a few questions in this questionnaire — "3a" and in particular "3b" — which give rise to particular comment. Respondents are in fact forced to choose three priority areas which would merit European action, placing economic, social or competition issues on the same footing (market access, fair competition, taxation, consumers, ownership of airlines , normal...) and safety and security rules (**).

QuestionsCivilAviation 3b

Safety or competitiveness?

A fairly logical approach if we consider in which areas a real European added value would be necessary. But this is nevertheless part of a worrying prejudice that calls for some questioning. Can we equate safety standards with other considerations? Can security not be chosen at the expense of other equally important but unnecessary factors? Don't security and safety issues alone deserve an approach to check what areas need improvement?

The interest of this consultation?

European authorities continue to deny any neoliberal approach or prejudice in the aviation market. And the meaning of this questionnaire is awkward to say the least because it illustrates the opposite. Admittedly, this is only a questionnaire. But very often this kind of consultation is used to support, or justify, more general legislative measures. All the skill of the future legislator consisting in orienting, skilfully, the questions and sorting the results, to enable him to justify a policy.

An exemplary regulation?

So far, European regulations in this area are without doubt one of the most advanced there is, when compared to other economic sectors. The opening of the European air market was thus accompanied by (European) harmonization and a certain strengthening of safety rules — for example with the establishment of the "black list" of "trash" companies —, proving that one is not the antithesis of the other (even if there are still points of doubt). At a time of lessons from the A320 crash, these questions could cast doubt on the intention of the European authorities to weaken high-level safety rules in the name of economic competitiveness... And that would be a mistake because, if there is a sector that is very sensitive to security, and cannot develop without maximum security, and that is aviation.

(NGV)

(*) The consultation is online here - or to download here (English only)

(**) In air matters, the term "safety" concerns anti-accident standards (internal to aviation) while the term "security"concerns external (anti-terrorist) protection standards. In nuclear matters, it is the opposite,"security" designates the security of power stations (from a technical point of view) while the term "safety" refers to measures against external aggression. Europe and English, it's simple, you still have to be careful of "false friends" who become "real friends" depending on the area...

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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