REGI committee chair: We have to rethink regional airport rules

Left MEP Younous Omarjee said regional airport rules need to be assessed and adapted to each region following a visit to Romania, where the committee observed EU-funded infrastructure investments in the northwest and central regions.

The visit was on behalf of the Committee on Regional Development (REGI), and MEPs held a press conference with Cluj with Mayor Emil Boc.

Omarjee emphasised the necessity for the cohesion policy to evolve continuously due to the diverse nature of Europe. “The cohesion policy has changed, it has to keep changing; there cannot be a uniform policy in a Europe marked by diversity.”

Boc urged the EU Commission to change its stance on supporting regional airports with EU funds, highlighting the airport’s crucial role as the main gateway for the region and its businesses. Boc added that there is a “necessity” to support regional airports with European money.

Omarjee said that the rule adopted by the European Parliament regarding the regional airports must be “reconsidered”: “We will put this topic on the agenda”.

Romanian MEP Daniel Buda (EPP) stressed the importance of adapting EP regulations to better align with the needs and realities on the ground, aiming to improve the cohesion policy.

Transylvania’s largest and Romania’s second-largest airport has been facing congestion issues for years. In the first quarter of 2023, the airport set a historical record with 600,000 passengers.

The “Avram Iancu” International Airport of Cluj-Napoca signed a contract worth over RON 225 million in February 2023 to expand its departures terminal and aircraft parking platform on the north side to address the growing demand.

However, a 2012 European Parliament resolution on the future of regional airports and air services in the EU stated that it is “desirable” to avoid a proliferation of regional airports.

“The development of regional airports should be targeted to avoid the creation of unused or not efficiently used airport infrastructures, which would result in an economic burden for the responsible authorities,” the resolution said.

Furthermore, a 2014 European Court of Auditors audit found that EU funding for airports lacked cost-effectiveness and coordination at the national level. The Court concluded that the Commission generally lacked knowledge about which airports received funding and the amounts they received, particularly concerning major projects and cohesion fund initiatives.

(Cătălina Mihai | EURACTIV.ro)