‘Social engineering’, atypical aircrew employment and bogus self-employment have grown significantly in recent years – harming social standards, distorting competition in the single market, and posing a potential hazard for flight safety. This has been amplified by Covid-19, the industry's greatest crisis, which has laid waste to thousands of flight crews and pilots across Europe.
The urgent need to address the social dimension of the EU aviation sector was recognised in the EU Member State joint Ministerial Declaration in December 2020, entitled ‘Covid-19 Recovery: Towards Socially Responsible Connectivity’ Recovery’, which called for a recovery, “where social rights are safeguarded, safety is further enhanced, and competition is based on fair conditions rather than on dumping practices.” The joint declaration also calls for the social dimension to be addressed when revising the EU Air Services Regulation 1008/2008, and for the EU Commission to take ‘active leadership’
Despite these calls, the Commission has recently announced their decision to postpone the review of EU Air Services Regulation 1008/2008 from end 2021 until early 2023, a move the MEPs criticise as being “totally out of step” with the political momentum of the joint ministerial declaration. The letter then goes on to call on the Commission to accelerate its work, reverse the decision to delay the review of the EU Air Services Regulation 1008/2008 & to table by end of 2021 a legislative proposal that effectively addresses the social challenges identified in the joint Ministerial Declaration.
*List of signatories:
Clare Daly, MEP
István Ujhelyi, MEP
Leïla Chaibi, MEP
Ciarán Cuffe, MEP
Marco Campomenosi, MEP
Jutta Paulus, MEP
Anne-Sophie Pelletier, MEP
Marianne Vind, MEP
Elena Kountoura, MEP
Kateřina Konečná, MEP
João Ferreira, MEP
