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News Releases
No. 44/07
April 30, 2007
OPEN SKIES: JACQUES BARROT IN WASHINGTON TO SIGN HISTORIC AVIATION DEAL AT THE EU-US TRANSATLANTIC SUMMIT
Jacques Barrot
[on left, above], Vice President of the European
Commission responsible for
Transport, is in Washington
today to sign the first-ever
aviation treaty between the
European Union and the United States, together with
[EU
Transport] Council President Wolfgang Tiefensee
[on left, below], US Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice [on right, below] and US Transportation Secretary
Mary Peters [on right, above].
Mr. Barrot said: "This agreement is both a centrepiece
for today's reinvigorated transatlantic relationship and
a big step forward in international aviation. By
allowing new services to be launched from airports right
across Europe, it will shake up both the transatlantic
market and the European airline industry itself.
Already, the European airline industry is feeling its
effects in a positive way, with plans for new services
and signs of a much more flexible and dynamic approach
to airline investment among European carriers."
Vice President Barrot added: "This first-stage
agreement is a central feature of today's
EU-US Summit and a concrete example of EU-US
cooperation. This agreement is the result of excellent
teamwork and I would like to thank the United States,
the German
Presidency, all the EU Member States, the
European Parliament and the industry for their
constructive approach and contribution.
"Moreover, I welcome the firm commitment given today by
Leaders on both sides of the Atlantic to conclude a
second-stage agreement as a matter of priority. We have
more work to do in order to open our aviation markets
wider, let capital flow more freely and intensify our
cooperation on issues like security and the
environment."
Building on the creation of the European internal
aviation market – a success story for the EU – the EU-US
aviation agreement lays solid foundations for a
revolution in the international aviation industry that
will see it treated as a "normal" global industry. This
agreement is the most ambitious air services deal ever
negotiated encompassing 60 percent of world traffic. It
will serve as a blueprint in world aviation. It is a
concrete and substantial move towards closer
transatlantic relations and a major contribution to the
Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs.
EU-US Summit Leaders have stressed that this agreement
will bring real benefits for the economies, consumers
and airlines on both sides of the Atlantic and have
reaffirmed their commitment to pursue, as a matter of
priority, negotiations to conclude a second-stage
agreement in order to achieve further liberalization.
The first ever EU-US aviation agreement, which will be
signed today in Washington at the EU-US Transatlantic
Summit, was initialed on March 2 in Brussels. It was
welcomed by the European Parliament on March 14 and
approved unanimously by the twenty-seven Transport Ministers on
March 22. It will enter into force on March 30, 2008.
Among the benefits, the Agreement is predicted to bring
billions of euros in economic benefits, millions of
additional passengers and up to new 80,000 jobs over a
five-year period.
The ultimate objective of the European Union is to
create an Open Aviation Area: a single air transport
market between the EU and the US in which investment can
flow freely and in which European and US airlines can
provide air services without any restriction, including
access to the domestic markets of both parties. The EU
negotiating mandate foresaw the possibility of a
staged approach, provided that mechanisms are in place to
ensure progression to subsequent stages. The agreement
signed today contains a strong mechanism for the
phase-two agreement within a strictly defined timescale
and a list of priority items. The second-stage
negotiations will start no later than May 30, 2008.
For further information please go to:
EU/US Summit:
http://www.eurunion.org/partner/summit/20070430sum.htm
Open Skies hot topic:
http://www.eurunion.org/newsweb/HotTopics/OpenSkies.htm
.
Further Contact Information
Press and Public Diplomacy
Delegation of the European Commission
2300 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
http://www.eurunion.org/PressRoom
Tel: 202-862-9552
Fax: 202-429-1766
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