Issue 376 | 7 October 2013

Single European sky, third ports package, EU ombudsman and more...

Parliament’s rapporteur on the implementation of the single European sky (SES), Marian-Jean Marinescu, heads up our cover feature with the suggestion that the SES II package has not “met all expectations”. The EPP deputy says that the focus of the proposals need to be based on “efficiency and not on national borders”. Transport commissioner Siim Kallas writes that he believes “the single European sky project is too important to fail”, and that it can still be a “success”. But, “given the rising demands on air travel and the aviation industry, time is running out”, he warns. Jacek Krawczyk, a vice-president of the EESC, explains how a well implemented SES can “save time, money and the environment”. However, he also concedes that “divisions among the key stakeholders still run deep” and that “member states have not committed themselves enough”.