214

U.  MIAMI  INT'L  &  COMP.  L.  REV.

V.  23

As  predicted/ 8  there  have  been  some  challenges  in
the  context  of  the  implementation  of  the  PLR,  but  these
challenges  have  been  overcome  in  large  part  due  to  the
insurance  industry's  willingness  to  actually  offer  PLRcompliant
  insurance  policies  and  at  least  the  few  national
administrations  that  were  able  to  implement  the  PLR  on
short  notice.  The  PLR  will  not  dramatically  ameliorate  the
situation  of  passengers  overnight  but  it  raises  the  standard.
Given  the  economic  importance  of  the  European  market,  the
obligatory  insurance,  and  the  resulting  indirect  pressure  by
insurers,  technical  and  other  standards  can  provide  at  least
some  contribution  to  the  protection  of  the  rights  of
passengers.  The  PLR  is  far  from  perfect  and  should  be
improved,  but  it  is  a  step  in  the  right  direction  and  it
provides  an  important  impetus  for  the  eventual  ratification
of  the  PAL  2002,  which  allowed  the  latter  to  take  effect  in
2014.

78  Tsimplis,  supra  note  9,  at  148.