In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 549/2004, the Member States are to adopt national or functional airspace block (‘FAB’) plans, including binding national targets or targets at the level of FABs, ensuring consistency with the Union-wide performance targets. Regulation (EC) No 549/2004 also provides that the Commission is to assess the consistency of those targets on the basis of the assessment criteria referred to in point (d) of Article 11(6) of that Regulation. Detailed rules in this regard have been set out in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 390/2013.

On that basis, Portugal and Romania each revised those targets and amended their performance plans accordingly.

The documentation submitted by Portugal and Romania was assessed by the Performance Review Body (‘PRB’), which assists the Commission in the implementation of the performance scheme pursuant to Article 3 of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 390/2013. The report from the PRB on the assessment of the revised targets for Portugal was submitted to the Commission on 20 September 2018 and updated on 12 October 2018.

The report from the PRB on the assessment of the revised targets for Romania was submitted to the Commission on 16 October 2018.

The Commission assessed those amended plans and in particular the revised targets, in accordance with Article 14 of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 390/2013, taking into account the documentation received and the reports from the PRB. The consistency of the targets in the key performance area of cost-efficiency, expressed in en route and terminal determined unit costs, with the Union-wide targets has been assessed in accordance with the principles laid down in point 5, in conjunction with point 1, of Annex IV to Implementing Regulation (EU) No 390/2013. The Commission took account of, in particular, the trend of en route determined unit costs over the second reference period in relation to the targeted reduction of 3,3 % per year on average and over the combined period of the first and the second reference period (2012-2019) in relation to the targeted reduction of 1,7 % per year on average. It also took into account the level of en route determined unit costs in comparison to Member States having a similar operational and economic environment.

As regards Portugal, the assessment showed that the revised targets are based on a planned reduction of its en route determined unit costs over the second reference period by 2 % per year on average. This is below the targeted reduction of the average Union-wide en route determined unit costs over that period. However, Portugal's revised target for 2019 is based on planned en route determined unit costs that are significantly lower (– 30 %) than the average en route determined unit costs of Member States having a similar operational and economic environment to the one of Portugal. Over the combined period of the first and the second reference period the planned en route determined unit costs decrease at a significantly higher rate (– 4 %) than the Union-wide target. The Commission therefore considers that the revised targets of Portugal for the years 2018 and 2019 are consistent with the Union-wide targets in the key performance area of cost-efficiency for the second reference period.

As regards Romania, the assessment showed that the revised targets are based on a planned reduction of its en route determined unit costs over the second reference period by 3,2 % per year on average. This is marginally below the targeted reduction of the average Union-wide en route determined unit costs over that period. Romania's revised target for 2019 is based on planned en route determined unit costs that are lower (– 1,5 %) than the average en route determined unit costs of Member States having a similar operational and economic environment to the one of Romania. Over the combined period of the first and the second reference period the planned en route determined unit costs decrease at the same rate (– 1,7 %) than the Union-wide target. The Commission therefore considers that the revised targets of Romania for the years 2018 and 2019 are consistent with the Union-wide targets in the key performance area of cost-efficiency for the second reference period.

Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/348 should therefore be amended, so as to take account of the revised targets of Portugal and Romania.