Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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29. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to report on the work of his Department in the development of a national position on the revision of EU Regulation U261/2004. [36418/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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Regulation (EC) 261/2004 ("EU261") sets out common rules on compensation and assistance to air passengers in the event of denied boarding, cancellation or long delay of flights. While EU261 has provided important consumer protections to air passengers across the EU, there have been ongoing difficulties with the interpretation of the Regulation, with a large number of cases having been taken to the Court of Justice of the European Union in this regard.

Proposals for reform of EU261 have been on the table for over a decade and political agreement on the revision was reached at EU Transport Council on 5th June. The agreed text is a much needed and long overdue update.

Ireland’s priority in respect of this file has been to agree a text that gives greater certainty to passengers as regards their rights without imposing an undue burden on industry.

My Department's approach to this file has been informed by the research carried out by the EU Commission, which shows that the areas of highest priority for passengers in the event of disruption are: being provided with timely information on disruption; ensuring they are properly cared for while they wait to travel; and entitling them to re-routing or reimbursement, where appropriate. This position has also been informed through consultation with the Irish Aviation Authority, who are the designated National Enforcement Body for EU261 in Ireland, based on their experience of dealing with passengers and the airline industry on enforcement. Other stakeholders, including Irish airlines, have also been consulted.

The Polish Presidency of the EU, which concluded at the end of June, has identified over 30 new rights that will be created by this proposal. These are targeted primarily at the areas of highest priority to passengers including provision of information, care & assistance and reimbursement or rerouting.

The next step on the EU legislative process is that the text moves into trilogue negotiations between the EU Council, the Commission, and the European Parliament. This will begin in the second half of this year and the Danish Presidency will lead the Council’s negotiations with the Commission and Parliament.

I look forward to working with all sides to find a compromise that will deliver long-awaited reforms for the benefit of passengers and industry alike.