EUropa.S. 2016 Agenda

The agenda of EUropa.S. 2016 consists of the following topics per Institution, aiming to bring to the table issues of great importance to the European Union.

European Council: “Facing the challenges of the refugee flows within the EU borders, in light of the Syrian Crisis and the ISIS issue.”

Council of EU – ECOFIN: “Improving the resilience of EU credit Institutions: the necessity of banking structural reform and implementation of a banking union.”

European Parliament

AFET Committee: “The Eastern Partnership and the EU – Russia relations: Challenges and perspectives towards a renovated and strengthened European Neighborhood Policy.”

DROI Committee: ‘’Le renforcement du Règlement sur la protection des données dans l’ UE et les questions concernantes la protection des droits de l’ homme.”

INTA Committee: “EU multilateral trade in services system: Discussing the potential of the TISA agreement and reviewing the ongoing nature of the negotiations.”

ITRE Committee: “The emergence of Blue Growth in EU’s Policy Framework. A major breakthrough for sustainability or old wine in new bottle?”

European Court of Justice: Case review

Air-Andaluz is an airline company of Spanish nationality which was incorporated in 1976. Almost 40 years later, it managed to be recognized as one of the best regional airlines in Europe. Having developed strong ties with the Spanish government, this company operated in an inadequately regulated legal framework. When Spain joined the European Community, it maintained this framework, even after the adoption of the regulations for the civil aviation security (2320/2002 and 300/2008). When the economic crisis hit Spain in 2008, the company faced an impress red financial distress. The Spanish government desired to provide financial aid to some companies which were import for the national economy, including Air-Andaluz. But this measure was considered as discriminatory by other foreign airlines or aviation companies, that were operating in the Spanish market, too. In March 2015, an aircraft of Air-Andaluz was flying form Madrid to Moscow. While flying above Ukraine, its signal disappeared and a few hours latter, the company announced that the airplane crushed in a rural area of the northeastern Ukraine. The relatives of the victims informed the European Commission about the regime under which Air-Andaluz was operating. The Commission, immediately, commenced infringement proceedings against Spain. Alpino airlines, a competitor of Air-Andaluz, was seeking to put aside the latter and therefore, when it learned the aforementioned facts, sent to the Commission an in depth presentation concerning the financial aid that the Spanish government was providing to Air-Andaluz. Moreover, Alpino made complaints about the VAT that the Spanish government has imposed to foreign airline companies. Consequently, the Commission commended infringement proceeding against Spain for this reason, too.

Finally the case appeared before the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Justice, which has to answer to the following issues:

(a) Whether Spain violated the civil aviation security EU regulations.

(b) Whether Spain’s measures consists a distortion of the fair competition.

(c) Whether the VAT that was imposed by the Spanish government to the foreign airline companies constitutes discrimination on the ground of nationality.

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