12 Single European Sky: air traffic management
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12392/13
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COM(13) 503
| Draft Council Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No. 219/2007 on the establishment of a Joint Undertaking to develop the new generation European air traffic management system (SESAR) as regards the extension of the Joint Undertaking until 2024
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| Legal base | Article 187 TFEU; consultation; QMV
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| Document originated | 10 July 2013
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| Deposited in Parliament | 19 July 2013
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| Department | Transport
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| Basis of consideration | EM of 24 July 2013
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| Previous Committee Report | None
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| Discussion in Council | Possibly 10 October 2013
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Not cleared; further information requested
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Background
12.1 The Single European Sky (SES) initiative was launched in
response to the growing problem in air traffic management (ATM)
delays in the late 1990s. The principal objective of the SES is
to deliver a seamless, safe, sustainable, efficient and interoperable
European ATM system capable of meeting future capacity needs and
not artificially constrained by national borders. The Single European
Sky Air Traffic Management Research (SESAR) programme is the technology
pillar of the SES. The SESAR Joint Undertaking (the SJU) is a
public private partnership established in 2007 and is responsible
for the SESAR programme development phase as the 'guardian' and
executor of the European Air Traffic Management Master Plan.
12.2 The SESAR programme aims to modernise the European
Air Traffic Management system. Industry-led, it has gained the
buy-in of aviation stakeholders and the Commission. Eurocontrol
(the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation) and
the Commission are founding members of the SJU and were subsequently
joined by 15 private industry partners (including the UK's NATS
(National Air Traffic Services) and an airports consortium involving
the then BAA).
12.3 The SJU was established under Council Regulation
(EC) 219/2007 (the SJU Regulation), under which it will cease
to exist on 31 December 2016, as EU funding for the SJU development
phase is limited to the period covered by the 2007-2013 Multiannual
Financial Framework.
The document
12.4 The SJU Regulation also provides for the Council
to review the scope, governance, funding and duration of the SJU
following the development phase. The Commisson suggests that
it is necessary to continue research and innovation on air traffic
management beyond 2016, particularly in the context of the SES
and its associated Air Traffic Management Performance Scheme.
So it proposes this draft Regulation to amend the SJU Regulation
in order to extend the life of the SJU beyond 2016, that is until
the end of 2024. The extension aligns to and is compatible with
the new Multiannual Financial Framework, with the multiannual
funding for the new activities highlighted in the European Air
Traffic Management Master Plan from 2014 to 2020 as part of Horizon
2020.
12.5 Other key elements of the draft Regulation are
that:
- existing resources would be
redeployed into exploratory research;
- there would be more focus on "Large scale
demonstration activities focussed on performance benefits, on
conducting integrated and coordinated advance validation and on
demonstration activities showing readiness for deployment and
for operation and/or technological transition"; and
- the SJU could award grants to help implementation
of the Air Traffic Management Master Plan.
The Government's view
12.6 The Minister of State, Department for Transport
(Mr Simon Burns) first says that:
- successive Governments have
supported the SES project and its technological pillar SESAR;
- the present Government intends to continue this
support and it is working to ensure that its objectives are met
fully;
- the SES initiative is already delivering operational
efficiency benefits to airspace users and passengers, in the form
of reduced air navigation charges, more direct flight routings
and reduced fuel burn; and
- SESAR, under the direction of the SJU, continues
to make a key contribution to the progress of the SES initiative
and the Government has been supportive of its developments.
12.7 On the draft Regulation itself the Minister
says that:
- the Government welcomes the
intention of these proposals for the continuation of the SJU as
an appropriate mechanism to direct both public and private funds
into air traffic management research and development;
- the legal framework underpinning SES is an important
enabling requirement for delivering technological improvements
in Europe's air traffic system but, by itself, it will not create
a new air traffic system;
- Member States and the Commission recognise that
significant investment in new technology is required to deliver
an improved air traffic system, capable of meeting the future
needs of airspace users;
- the SJU has a key role in bringing the EU aviation
community together to deliver this;
- as SESAR enters its Deployment Phase, 2014 to
2020 (with a potential second phase up to 2030), some of the work
will pass from the SJU to industry to implement and integrate
the technology; and
- there remains, nevertheless, an ongoing requirement
for air traffic management research and development and therefore
there is a real need to allow the SJU to continue its work, in
partnership with the key players and aligned with the EU funding
mechanism under Horizon 2020.
12.8 The Minister continues by explaining some of
the background, saying that:
- SESAR is a regular item on
the agenda of the Single Sky Committee, the comitology committee
for the SES initiative, giving Member States clear oversight and
influence over the development and progress of SESAR and its associated
bodies;
- although elements of the UK industry have chosen
to contribute to the costs of the SJU, they have done so on the
basis of commercial decisions;
- there are no direct costs on industry and the
development work of the SJU aims to ensure that new technology
has a robust cost-benefit analysis;
- mandating of any particular equipment deployment
across the European air traffic management system would be subject
to separate regulations and scrutiny processes; and
- the greatest risk is, therefore, with not extending
the SJU and the subsequent likelihood that air traffic management
research and development would become more disparate.
12.9 Before discussing some aspects of the draft
Regulation, which might be addrtessed as it is being negotiated,
the Minister comments:
- the proposal sets out an eight
year extension to the SJU and the changes to the SJU Regulation
are mainly a straightforward link to the new timescales and new
Commission financial framework under Horizon 2020;
- the Government supports an extension to the SJU
as the best mechanism to direct both public and private funds
into air traffic management research and development; and
- the draft Regulation gives the opportunity, nevertheless,
to look at working with other Member States to achieve some relatively
minor changes to enable the SJU to be more effective and focused
in its research and development.
12.10 The Minister says that the Government will
consider the following during the Council working group discussions:
- the draft Regulation suggests
existing resources will be redeployed with more effort being put
into exploratory research;
- whilst acceptable, there may be additional benefits
for the SJU work beyond the Air Traffic Management Master Plan,
as set out in current Regulations, to be constantly assessed on
a cost against benefit basis rather than the assumption that the
same level of resource will be needed throughout the extension;
- the Government will work to consider if improvement
can be made to this element of the proposal;
- it is good to see in the Commission's explanatory
memorandum that the SJU's Air Traffic Management Master Plan work
should become more focused on "Large scale demonstration
activities focused on performance benefits, on conducting integrated
and coordinated advance validation and on demonstration activities
showing readiness for deployment and for operation and/or technological
transition";
- but it would be beneficial for this to be more
specifically set out in the text of the proposed Regulation;
- the draft Regulation specifies that the SJU may
award grants to implement the Air Traffic Management Master Plan,
considering the rules for participation laid down in Horizon 2020;
- whilst logical, greater clarity is needed on
how this grant awarding role sits with the Commission's responsibilities
and the appointment of a SESAR Deployment Manager under other
SES Regulations; and
- the Government will seek greater clarity on this
aspect to ensure that the governance of the SESAR Deployment Phase
does not become confused with the ongoing research and development
role of an extended SJU.
12.11 On possible financial implications the Minister
says that:
- the SJU is jointly funded by
the Commission, Eurocontrol and industry;
- the extension of the SJU does not result in any
direct cost on the UK; but
- industry partners who choose to be part of the
SJU will be expected to contribute to the funding of the SJU,
as is currently the case.
Conclusion
12.12 We recognise the utility of this proposal,
as an important element in the continued development of the Single
European Sky. But, before considering the matter again, we should
like to hear about developments in working group discussions in
addressing the three points the Minister mentions. Meanwhile the
document remains under scrutiny.
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