madam president the question was submitted by brian simpson on behalf of parliament's committee on transport and tourism following the commission's report looking into the effectiveness of the eu blacklist
the eu blacklist was established in two thousand and six to name shame and ban airlines which are not complying with international safety rules
it was established in response to concerns over the level of enforcement of international safety standards and on the back of several fatal air crashes over a short space of time in two thousand and four and two thousand and five
four years on we know that the blacklist has proved an effective and valuable tool in promoting enforcement of icao safety standards and in protecting eu citizens
how we can now build on this is the question facing us today
in other words how can we extend the protection beyond our own borders and further work towards the goal of improving global aviation security
the blacklist has a responsibility not only to identify where the safety risks lie but also to ensure that this information is effectively communicated to eu citizens
in line with this how can we ensure that eu citizens taking flights outside europe are aware of banned air carriers that continue operating in other regions of the world
in cases where the air carrier's licence has been revoked and therefore the air carrier does not appear on the blacklist how can we be sure that passengers are aware of this situation
we have seen how effective the bringing together of different national blacklists into one comprehensive eu-wide list has been
however the blacklist is only as good as the access we have to information relating to the safety of air carriers
how can we build on the information which forms the basis of the blacklist by improving the access to verifiable and reliable information
this means not only looking at strengthening the checks made in eu member states but also approving the data information received from non-eu member states
would the commission consider establishing harmonised and standardised ramp checks and reporting
in terms of improving the data information received from third countries would the commission consider establishing an effective system of international exchange of reliable data bringing us closer to a kind of worldwide blacklist which i know has been mooted in the past
furthermore it is worth pointing out that the blacklist has proved an effective tool in incentivising airlines to meet international safety standards
but how can we work more proactively towards the ultimate goal of improving global aviation safety
by this i mean how does the commission intend to support national civil aviation authorities in meeting safety deficits based on icao audits and improving their oversight capability
it is crucial that we ensure effective communication channels with the public but it is also vitally important that in the long term we continue to work on promoting the enforcement of international aviation safety standards around the world
this will ultimately be the most effective way of improving safety for all passengers
the committee on transport and tourism of the european parliament looks forward to working with the commission to try and build on the eu's blacklist achievements
