WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2110/97 by Jessica LARIVE to the Commission. Disaster control at EU airports
C 45/158 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 10. 2. 98 According to information received from the French Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the profession of special needs teacher is not regulated in France and there is no national obstacle to the exercise of this profession on French territory. The Commission has approached the French authorities, asking them to make it quite clear to individuals in possession of diplomas awarded in other Member States that there is no legal obstacle to the exercise of this profession and that they do not even have to apply to have their diplomas recognised. The Commission is, of course, willing to examine any complaint from individuals who, in breach of the Treaty articles relating to freedom of movement as interpreted by the courts, have found themselves at a disadvantage in comparison with holders of national diplomas simply because their qualifications were obtained in another Member State. (1) Directive 89/48/EEC of 21 December 1988 (OJ L 19, 24 January 1989) and Directive 92/51/EEC of 18 June 1992 (OJ L 209, 24 July 1992). (98/C 45/207) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2110/97 by Jessica Larive (ELDR) to the Commission (23 June 1997) Subject: Disaster control at EU airports Following the disaster involving the Belgian air force Hercules at Eindhoven airport, a report on Coping with aircraft accidents at airportsí was recently commissioned by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the report looks at disaster control plans at aiports in the Netherlands. It shows that disaster control plans are poorly organized, that there is virtually no communication between the various services involved and that they have no real contact with each other. Does the Commission agree that Member States should be encouraged to carry out similar inquiries if they 1. have not already done so? 2. Does the Commission agree that the increase in air traffic in Europe calls for a proper approach to disaster control at all European airports, and that air passengers should be informed of which airports in Europe comply with the requirements of proper disaster control? Does the Commission have any information on the approach to disaster control at civilian and military 3. airports in the EU? 4. Have any cross-border agreements been made between airport management bodies, fire brigades, ambulance services and local authorities in the EU and, if not, does the Commission not feel that this should be done, certainly in the context of the euregions, and is it prepared to take any action in this respect? Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission (15 July 1997) Responsibility for the provision of airport services, including safety and emergency services, has always rested mainly on national authorities. When organising such services, Member States are required to apply the standards adopted by the International civil aviation organisation (ICAO), as well as related recommended practices. ICAO has also developed an airport manual describing best practices for managing airport safety, in particular, how to organise emergency services in case of accident. It appears, nevertheless, that airports are not always fully aware of their role and responsibilities in this domain and that the distribution of responsibilities among various parties is not sufficiently clear. The Commission therefore considers it appropriate to create a common safety regulatory regime for the provision of airport services. It has suggested in its proposals for the creation of a European Aviation Safety Authority that this body should be charged with the task, so that airport operators would need to be certified by an independent safety regulator and, to obtain the necessary approval, would have to demonstrate that satisfactory emergency plans exist and can work effectively