European citizens were supposed to wake up on Tuesday morning with a new deal for air passengers, but talks the previous evening rapidly ran into turbulence, with lawmakers refusing to compromise on issues such as monetary compensation for delays and a quota for carry-on baggage.
The European Parliament’s negotiating team turned down a proposal for an extra round of talks from Denmark, the current holder of the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, as MEPs seek to strengthen passengers’ rights amid furious lobbying by airlines.
A key demand from the parliament was the right to bring a piece of luggage on board free of charge in addition to a small personal bag. MEPs also refused to countenance any lengthening of the delay time, currently three hours, that triggers an automatic right to compensation.
Take it or leave it
The parliamentary transport committee is now expected to reaffirm its requests in a new resolution that amends the Council’s position. This vote is planned for 12 January, to be followed by endorsement in plenary, likely the same month.
National governments would then have four months to either accept or reject the Parliament’s offer, with a refusal the most likely option given the current clash of positions.
There would be scope for a limited amount of further backroom talks, but any progress is contingent on a significant shift from one of the EU’s two legislative bodies.
No backtracking
A draft document outlining the committee’s position is already public, and suggests that MEPs have no intention of allowing the roll-back of any existing rights. It explicitly mentions an increase in the compensation time threshold and a decrease in the indemnity as examples.
Liberal lawmaker Jan-Christoph Oetjen, the Renew group’s negotiator on the file, said the parliament could not allow national governments to curtail passenger rights. His group accused the Council of refusing to compromise on “any points” on Monday evening.
“Particularly regarding the compensation period of three hours, we cannot accept a deterioration for passengers,” Oetjen said.
A spokesperson for the Danish presidency said they hope that the talks held over recent months would serve as “an important step towards an agreement at a later stage.”
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