Vliegtuiglawaai: Commissie start procedures bij EU-Hof tegen Oostenrijk, Italië, Duitsland, Finland en Luxemburg (en)

The European Commission decided to take Austria, Finland, Italy, Germany and Luxembourg to the Court of Justice for non-communication of the transposition measures of a 2002 legislation which aims at a harmonised approach by Member States for the phasing out of the noisiest aircraft at EU airports.

The Directive on aircraft noise^[1] requires the application of specific procedures prior to introducing noise restrictions at sensitive EU airports. Failure to implement a harmonized approach to noise would result in a patchwork of different solutions, provoking distortions between airports with similar noise problems as well as creating obstacles for an effective, EU-wide improvement.

The directive implements the principle established in the 1999 Communication on Aviation and the Environment that an increase in the number of people exposed to aircraft noise must be avoided. By failing to transpose the directive in national law, the five Member States seriously limit the possibility of EU airports to contribute towards improving the environmental performance of air transport operations.

The Commission has already sent to those Member States a letter of formal notice on 25 November 2003 and a reasoned opinion on 30 March 2004.

^[1] Directive 2002/30/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 March on the establishment of rules and procedures with regard to the introduction of noise-related operating restrictions at Community airports, OJ L 085, 28.03.2002