European Commission Vice President Barrot (Left) & US Transportation Secretary Mineta

No. 27/05
March 22, 2005

VICE PRESIDENT BARROT SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDES FIRST VISIT TO US TO DEEPEN TRANSATLANTIC COOPERATION ON TRANSPORT

The Vice President of the European Commission Jacques Barrot in charge of transport policy met with his American counterparts this week. He held a series of high-level meetings in Washington on 21 and 22 March to deepen transatlantic cooperation on transport policy. Jacques Barrot met in particular with US Transportation Secretary, Norman Y. Mineta, with Deputy Secretary for Homeland Security Michael Jackson, with the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Authority Marion Blakey and with presidential advisors in the White House. He highlighted the need to continue working together in the field of aviation. Jacques Barrot said: "Improving cooperation between the EU and the US in aviation is a top priority for me. We need to open each other’s markets step by step and get rid of arcane rules that hamper business. The EU and the US must establish permanent cooperation to work together on regulatory issues."

Speaking Points
Press Conference
Vice President Jacques Barrot
European Commission

Washington, 24 March 2005

• Good afternoon. I have had very productive meetings yesterday and today:
  • I just met with the secretary of transportation Norman Mineta this afternoon.
  • I met with Marion Blakey and her team at FAA yesterday.
  • I met with Deputy Secretary Michael Jackson at Homeland Security this morning.
  • I had contacts yesterday at the White House with advisors to President Bush.
  • I have also met with business leaders and, as a consequence, have a clear sense of the key challenges ahead.

• Let me inform you about some of the issues that I discusse and talk about the spirit with which I came here.

• I decided to come to Washington early in my mandate as Vice President of the European Commission in charge of transport.

• I wanted to demonstrate the importance I attach to good relations with our American partners. We have much to gain from acting together on the issues confronting the world.

• President Bush recently visited the European Union. He stressed the importance of a strategic alliance between Europe and the United States.

• Our transatlantic alliance needs to deliver tangible results. Civil aviation is an area where we can make progress together.

• International aviation is dominated by arcane rules. These rules have passed their expiration date in today’s globalized economy.

• We need to reform international aviation. We need to do this together, Europeans and Americans. This is a top priority for me.

• The European and American markets together represent 60% of global aviation. We have the capacity to modernize civil aviation.

• What do we need to do together?

• Firstly, we need to avoid rules on both sides of the Atlantic that complicate doing business. We need to avoid adopting divergent regulations. Mutual consultation is necessary.

• The EU and the US need to establish permanent cooperation to discuss regulations on security, safety, consumer protection and fair competition.

• On security, we should work towards mutual recognition of our rules. We need to create confidence in our systems. We need to give evidence of effective application of security rules to each other. I discussed this with Deputy Secretary Michael Jackson this morning.

• I also raised the difficulties posed to the EU by the US decision to ban the carrying of lighters by passengers on their person or in hand their luggage.

• We need to look at access to each other’s markets. We need to work progressively, in stages, to open our markets and create more opportunities for companies and passengers.

• We miss economic opportunities in the absence of an aviation agreement. An extra 17 million passengers across the Atlantic is a realistic prospect. And let’s not forget the spin-off for domestic connections.

• To reach an agreement we need to look at both passenger travel and cargo.

• I discussed with Secretary Mineta how to re-launch negotiations on an open aviation agreement between our markets.

• Our negotiators will now review the elements to include in an agreement to create a transatlantic aviation market.

• I myself will discuss this with European ministers in a few weeks time.

• Our goal is to resume formal negotiations in view of a first step agreement. I think that we should work in different steps.

• I would like to move as quickly as possible, but I also prefer to take the time that is necessary to establish a solid basis for a transatlantic aviation market.

• I will work on this over the coming months with the partners I met at the Department of Transportation and the White House. I also find a receptive ear with business leaders whom I met.

• I explained to our American partners that the European Commission has recently requested mandates to negotiate with Russia and China on behalf of the EU.

• And we aim to create a common aviation market with our immediate neighbors at our Eastern borders and in the Mediterranean area.

• I was pleased with my contacts at the Federal Aviation Administration yesterday, where I met with Marion Blakey.

• We have an excellent cooperation already. I want to intensify our cooperation.

• We are working closely on a bilateral agreement in the field of safety of equipment. I hope we can conclude by June 2006.

• I explained to the FAA how we are working in Europe with the new European Air Safety Agency.

• I also explained how our thinking is developing on environmental matters and on protection of passenger rights.

• The EU recently introduced new rules to ensure a high level of protection to passengers. Our new rules want to eradicate overbooking and avoid cancellation of flights for commercial reasons. That is why we now grant compensation to passengers who suffer from intolerable practices by airline companies. These rules are of course non-discriminatory: all airlines are treated the same.

• With FAA, I discussed the issue of air traffic management and how to improve it. In the European Union we are launching SESAME, a new technology to improve traffic management. Our common objective is to ensure the interoperability of this system with that operated by the US.

• To conclude, my visit here was driven by both economic and political considerations.

• A partnership between Europe and the United States in aviation makes economic sense. A good agreement would bring economic benefits in cargo and in passenger travel. It would increase tourism and create extra jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.

• But it also makes political sense. We need to strengthen the strategic alliance between our democracies. The world needs leadership and vision to make a success of globalization. Delivering leadership is a joint challenge for Europe and the United States.

• I would now be happy to take your questions.

Background

Following the EU Court of Justice’s judgments in the "Open skies" cases on 5 November 2002 and the mandate granted to the European Commission by the Council on 5 June 2003, the European and American delegations had met on several occasions between October 2003 and June 2004 to negotiate a comprehensive air services agreement. An agreement would expand opportunities for passengers, airlines, airports, tourism, business links and cargo transport. A study published in December 2002 estimated that an agreement between the EU and US would generate over 17 million additional passengers a year, consumer benefits of at least $5 billion a year and would boost employment on both sides of the Atlantic. These benefits have been highlighted by the Commission in its recent external aviation relations’ policy statement.

Press Pack Available At:
http://www.eurunion.org/newsweb/news/barrotpresspack.htm

US Transportation Secretary Mineta (2nd from Left) Meets with European Commission Vice President Barrot (2nd from Right).