AIR TRANSPORT: NO MASSIVE PUBLIC AID FOLLOWING TERRORIST STRIKES.

Whilst Mrs Durant claimed to be deeply concerned by the economic and =employment situation in the European air transport sector, she argued =that the only appropriate long-term response is sector consolidation. =She highlighted excessive fragmentation, a lack of strategic alliances, =problems of over-capacity and high costs facing airlines, emphasising =the need to provide the means to permit a restructuring of the sector, =notably by adapting existing competition rules. Her speech received a =mixed welcome from MEPs who criticised what they regard as an overly =timid response by the Commission and Council compared with the massive =aid granted to American airlines. They called for immediate and concrete =action over and above the current marginal measures, which they =condemned as unacceptable.Mrs Durant believes the current situation clearly highlights the need =for further reflection on the EU's role in relation to third countries =and in particular the United States. She claimed to personally support =the granting of a negotiating mandate to the Commission suggesting that =it is important for the future of civil aviation that the European Union =should speak with one voice. She also dismissed as "unacceptable" the =aid granted by...