00:00 Hello and welcome to State of the Union.
00:07 I'm Stefan Grobe in Brussels.
00:10 The world has gotten used to nonsensical remarks by Donald Trump.
00:14 That's why European leaders rarely comment on them.
00:17 They usually hold their nose and move on.
00:21 But Trump's suggestion during a campaign rally that the United States would not protect
00:25 NATO allies who failed to spend enough on defence sparked a rare public backlash.
00:31 Dangerous, unhinged, appalling.
00:36 Those were some of the friendlier reactions.
00:38 Here's the EU's foreign policy chief.
00:42 NATO cannot be a à la carte military alliance.
00:47 Cannot be a military alliance that works depending on the humour of the president of the US on
00:54 those days.
00:56 It's not yes, now yes, tomorrow no, it depends who are you.
01:00 Now come on, let's be serious.
01:03 Let's be serious.
01:06 At a meeting of NATO defence ministers this week, participants were also not in the mood
01:11 to mince words.
01:13 The whole idea of NATO is that an attack on one ally will trigger the response from the
01:17 whole alliance.
01:18 And as long as we stand behind that message together, we prevent any military attack on
01:27 any ally.
01:28 So, any suggestion that we are not standing up for each other, that we are not going to
01:33 protect each other, that does undermine the security of all of us.
01:37 Stoltenberg also reported record military spending of the alliance.
01:41 As budgetary decisions are taken over a period of months, NATO spending cannot be considered
01:47 a direct response to Trump, who has a track record of hostile remarks about NATO.
01:53 It rather reflects a response to Russian aggression and Vladimir Putin.
01:57 High military spending is being done in a rather difficult economic situation.
02:03 This week, European aerospace group Ebbas reported its latest earnings.
02:08 The numbers were mixed.
02:10 The financial forecast for 2024 was cautious.
02:14 In general, it's a tough financial environment for the aviation industry, who is looking
02:19 toward cutting costs everywhere.
02:22 One option under consideration is a reduction of the number of pilots at the controls of
02:27 an airliner.
02:28 It's called the Extended Minimum Crew Operations, EMCO.
02:34 Something that pilots believe is a deeply concerning development that would come at
02:39 the cost of safety.
02:41 Joining me now is Otcan De Bruyne, president of the European Cockpit Association.
02:46 Welcome to the program.
02:47 Thank you.
02:49 So you represent more than 40,000 pilots in 33 countries.
02:54 Tell us why your organization is against EMCO.
02:59 So in aviation, we have redundancy and backup for all safety critical systems.
03:05 And this philosophy is at the core of modern aviation.
03:10 To give an example, on board of large airplanes, every safety critical system is installed
03:15 twofold or threefold to prevent this crucial failure.
03:20 Currently, there are also two pilots at the controls of an aircraft.
03:24 Two pilots work as a team.
03:26 They serve as this critical safety net, monitoring systems, but also monitoring each other, detecting
03:33 errors and mitigating potential hazards before they escalate.
03:37 Just to be sure, what are the risks associated with a one pilot only scheme?
03:43 So in this concept, when this one pilot is there for hours during the cruise phase, he
03:49 or she would need to take a toilet break.
03:51 And during this toilet break, there would be no pilot.
03:53 So what happens, for instance, if at that moment, air traffic control asks you to deviate
04:00 from your flight path, if there is an engine fire or smoke developing on the flight deck
04:04 or a collision warning, I as a pilot will not be able to be responsible for the safety
04:10 of my passengers, of my crew and my aircraft.
04:15 The one pilot concept is under evaluation by the EU Aviation Safety Agency.
04:20 How advanced is this evaluation and have you guys been consulted?
04:25 Yes, so in the last two years, a small group of stakeholders has been consulted in which
04:30 we indeed were also consulted and have been involved.
04:35 It is the first time in history where the European Aviation Safety Agency is starting
04:41 rulemaking without the purpose of solving a safety issue.
04:46 Instead, they are introducing many safety issues and we have no trust in this evaluation
04:53 process being carried out independently and impartially.
04:59 What about your employers?
05:00 The airlines, where do they come down on this?
05:04 It is very simple.
05:05 It is commercially driven by some airlines who see a potential of saving some money by
05:09 reducing the number of pilots during long haul flights.
05:15 Airlines may be tempted by the prospect of gaining this cost saving competitive advantage
05:21 through the elimination of this pilot.
05:23 However, they may find themselves unpleasantly surprised to discover that commercial incentives
05:30 are an extremely risky driver in aviation.
05:34 And if they doubt this, they should simply ask Boeing.
05:38 All right, Ottender Bruijn, President of the European Cockpit Association.
05:41 Thank you so much for filling us in on this very important topic.
05:45 Thank you very much.
05:48 Before we go, here`s a look at the carnival season that came to an end this week.
05:54 Some of the biggest parades traditionally take place in Western Germany.
05:58 In Cologne alone, an estimated 1.5 million people took to the streets to celebrate the
06:05 fun amid an abundance of candy, flowers and alcohol.
06:11 Like the carnival in Venice or Rio de Janeiro, the parades in Germany feature floats that
06:17 address political issues with biting sarcasm.
06:21 A float in Cologne had figures of Vladimir Putin, President Xi Jinping of China and Iran`s
06:27 supreme leader Ali Khamenei, all with planks of wood nailed to their heads.
06:33 In German, that means you`re an idiot.
06:37 Another float showed Ukrainian President Zelensky holding a helmet next to the inscription "To
06:43 be or NATO be".
06:45 Amazing how complex issues suddenly become clear when you`re in a very festive mood.
06:52 That`s it for this edition.
06:54 I`m Stefan Grobe.
06:56 Thank you for watching.
06:57 Have an excellent week.
06:58 Thank you.
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