Cyprus Mail wrote:Cyprus in hot water over EU aviation law
By Stefanos Evripidou
GOVERNMENT Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides yesterday played down concerns that Cyprus could find itself before the European Court of Justice for failing to implement European law on civil aviation.
The European Commission sent a reasoned opinion – the last step before a formal complaint to the Court of Justice is lodged – to Cyprus on Wednesday for its failure to transpose European legislation regarding the investigation of civil aviation accidents and incidents.
The objective of the legislation is to improve air safety by facilitating speedy investigations to prevent future accidents and incidents.
Cyprus should have implemented the relevant directive by May 1, 2004, the date of EU accession but the Commission has yet to be informed that the relevant national measures have been adopted.
In a strongly worded letter, the EU executive informed Cyprus that it took implementation quite seriously. “The Commission will not tolerate any failure by member states to implement rules that protect European citizens’ lives”.
The directive requires member states to ensure that technical investigations are conducted or supervised by a permanent and independent civil aviation body or entity. Every accident or serious incident (where an accident nearly occurred) should be subject to an investigation.
According to EU Ambassador Adriaan van der Meer, the Commission now expects the government to respond to the letter, notifying Brussels whether there is full transposition of the relevant directive. Failing this communication within two months, the Commission may launch an official infringement procedure and bring the case before the European Court of Justice.
Chrysostomides assured the Cyprus Mail that it would not come to that. He explained that the original directive dealing with civil aviation had been passed in 2003. Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed an additional directive complementing the previous one.
Communications Minister Haris Thrasou confirmed that the directive in question had been in place since October 2003 when cabinet appointed a committee to investigate aviation accidents and incidents.
Thrasou explained the Commission had been informed but somehow, the information was not fully received. The Cyprus representation in Brussels has since given the relevant explanations to the Commission, he added.
The bill passed by parliament yesterday related to a new complementary directive. “We have assurances that once the Commission is informed of the above, the matter will be considered closed,” said Thrasou.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2005
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Cyprus Mail wrote:EU raps Cyprus over drivers’ licensing
THE E.U. Commission has issued a slap on the wrist to Cyprus and four other member states for failure to transpose European legislation on the introduction of a harmonised certificated driver’s licence into national law.
The Commission sent ‘reasoned opinions’’ to Cyprus, Denmark, Luxembourg, Portugal and the Czech Republic for failing to meet the June 1 legislation to transpose the directive into national law.
Reasoned opinion is the second stage in the infringement procedure and each of the five member states concerned have two months to reply before proceedings continue.
“This legislation will help improve road safety by making it possible to check that drivers are only driving categories of vehicle they are authorised to drive,” said a statement from the Commission yesterday..
“The harmonisation of registration certificates will also improve the working of the internal market in road transport.”
