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"My starting point is that free movement is one of the greatest freedoms for citizens of Europe. And modern transport makes a fundamental contribution to this freedom...Air and maritime transport are global. I see it as my mission to support European businesses and transport professionals in global competition. I am strongly in favor of international regulatory solutions and I will work hard to facilitate international competition, always keeping the European interest in mind."

– Siim Kallas
EU Transport Commissioner

The European Union and the United States share a long tradition of working together to promote strong economic growth. This is pursued through multilateral and bilateral mechanisms. Bilaterally, the EU-US annual presidential Summits have fostered cooperation.

At the 2004 Summit in Shannon, Ireland, the EU and the US committed themselves to strengthen their economic partnership. Regarding transport, they agreed to “work together to enhance trade and transport security while facilitating the movement of people and goods.” The EU and the US signed an agreement between Galileo and the Global Positioning System (GPS).

At the Washington Summit in June 2005, the EU and the US launched an initiative to enhance economic partnership, including air cargo traffic and air transport security and a declaration to cooperate on energy security, energy efficiency, renewables and economic development.

The EU-US first informal economic ministerial meeting in November 2005 followed up on the commitments made during the 2005 June Summit through a joint EU-US Work Program and a common EU platform.

At the June 2006 Vienna Summit, the EU and the US presented a joint declaration to strengthen their strategic partnership. Regarding transport, they are pursuing dialogue on border and transportation security. They agreed to redouble efforts to conclude a first-stage air transport agreement and also to enhance cooperation on the legal framework governing the transfer of air passengers’ data.

The EU’s ultimate goal is to create a free trade area in air transport between the US and the EU, an “Open Aviation Area.”

Transport Security and Safety

After the terrorist attacks in the US, Spain and London, transport security has been pushed up the political agenda on transatlantic relations. Dialogue at the expert level has been established through a High Level EU-US group on border and transport security and an EU-US Transportation Security Cooperation Group.

An EU-US Agreement on Cooperation in the Regulation of Civil Aviation Safety was signed on June 30, 2008, which ensures safer transatlantic air travel.

The EU and the US have also committed to cooperate closely on the legal framework governing the transfer of air passenger’s data following the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling of May 30, 2006. The European Commission has adopted two initiatives on June 19, 2006 to comply with the ECJ Ruling on the transfer of Passenger Name Records (PNR) to the United States of America.

GALILEO

Galileo is an initiative launched by the European Union and the European Space Agency to develop the first European satellite radio navigation system.

Galileo is a worldwide system that offers international cooperation opportunities. At the Ireland Summit, on June 26, 2004, the EU and the US signed an agreement on the promotion, provision and use of Galileo and GPS satellite-based navigation system and its related applications.

European Union Delegation, Washington, DC, Staff

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