The Spanish Secretary of State for the EU and the Vice-president of the European Commission and Commissioner for Transport, Siim Kallas, met on Sunday afternoon with Eurocontrol to find out first hand the evolution of the volcanic cloud that has forced the closure of most of the airports in Northern Europe.

With the information from Eurocontrol and the airlines that have been carrying our trial flights, the Ministers of Transport will hold an extraordinary meeting today by videoconference, called by the Spanish Minister of Public Works, José Blanco.

He explained that the ministers will try to reach a consensus on a "European decision" based on the technical recommendations resulting from those trial flights, with safety as a priority.

When asked if there had been an "excessive" reaction from European authorities in imposing restrictions on European air spaces, Diego López Garrido, Spanish Secretary of State for the EU, stated that "the principle of precaution and safety is the principle that must be followed", and that it is a "consolidated decision in the European Union".

The ash cloud caused by the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull volcano air has caused an unprecedented crisis in the history of aviation. Thousands of flights have been canceled -63,000 every day since Thursday, according to Eurocontrol-, and hundreds of thousands of passengers affected. Airlines have lost millions of Euros: according to Eurocontrol, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, every day every company has lost 150 million euros.

The ash cloud caused by the eruption of Eyjafjall air has caused an unprecedented crisis in the history of aviation. With thousands of flights canceled -63,000 every day since Thursday, according to Eurocontrol-, and hundreds of thousands of passengers affected. Airlines have lost millions of euros these days: according to Eurocontrol, every day every company has lost 150 million euros.

Agriculture and Fisheries Council, which was supposed to be held today in Luxembourg, has been postponed because of air traffic problems. Several issues on Common Fisheries Policy will be assessed in this meeting.