EU, U.S. Launch New Round of Aviation Negotiations

The EU and the U.S. have launched a new round of negotiations on a comprehensive transatlantic aviation agreement.

Vice President of the European Commission Jacques Barrot said, ''There are some difficult issues on the table for the negotiators to solve this week. But I stress once more that the status quo is not an option and that failure is not an option. I urge both delegations to approach the discussions this week with creativity, with imagination and with determination."

In the run-up to today's launch, Vice President Barrot pointed out the benefits of an aviation agreement. "All the evidence shows clearly that removing obstacles to free and fair competition produces benefits for airlines, for airports, for workers, for consumers and for communities..." He added, "The latest estimates are that an [EU-U.S.] agreement would generate more than 25 million additional passengers over the next 5 years. It would produce up to 15 billion euros (18 billion dollars) in benefits for consumers. It would create 80,000 new jobs in the EU and US combined..."

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