Europees sociaal comité wil nieuwe luchtvervoersovereenkomst met VS om barrières te slechten (en)

Met dank overgenomen van Europees Economisch en Sociaal Comité (EESC), gepubliceerd op vrijdag 12 juni 2009.

CES/09/83

12 June 2009

EESC calls for a wide-ranging EU-US air transport agreement

At its plenary session on 11 June 2009, the EESC adopted an opinion calling for the rapid conclusion of negotiations on an EU-US air transport agreement. The opinion calls for total removal of ownership restrictions and discriminatory market practices, full regulatory EU-US cooperation, and abolition of excessive security procedures.

The EESC rapporteur and former pilot Jacek Krawczyk (Employers Group, Poland), called upon both the EU and the US to "step up their level of ambition" and to hammer out a comprehensive agreement. This could provide the basis for a future global air traffic agreement, going beyond the current bilateral arrangements.

Roman Kramarík , Czech deputy minister of transport, called to tear down existing barriers to a truly free air transport sector. He welcomed the Committee opinion and the EESC's input into the ongoing negotiations with the US.

The opinion spells out priorities for an EU-US agreement, such as removal of restrictions on ownership and control of airlines by EU and US investors, and the abolition of all discriminatory market practices, in particular the 'Fly America' Programme. The Committee also calls for the right of establishment to be amended to permit cross border- mergers, acquisitions and new entries into the market.

T he EESC emphasises the importance of regulatory cooperation and convergence. Excessive security measures should also be removed as these create unnecessary difficulties for air travellers.

T he Committee is also keeping an eye on the implications of a new agreement for labour related issues and the environment. These areas should be closely monitored under cooperation mechanisms such as the Transatlantic Economic Council.

The EESC welcomes the groundbreaking agreement on an Open Aviation Area (OAA) which the EU and Canada concluded earlier this year. The Committee calls upon the Commission and the US to use this text as a reference, which could lead to these new principles of openness replacing the 1944 Chicago Convention.

The full text of the opinion will soon be available here:

http://eesc.europa.eu/documents/opinions/avis_en.asp

 

For more details, please contact:

Barbara Gessler at the EESC Press Office,

99 rue Belliard, B-1040 Brussels

Tel.: +32 2 546 9396 ; Mobile: +32 475 75 32 02

Email: press@eesc.europa.eu

Website: http://www.eesc.europa.eu/

Press Releases:

http://www.eesc.europa.eu/activities/press/cp/index_en.asp (English)

http://www.eesc.europa.eu/activities/press/cp/index_fr.asp (French)

  
 

The European Economic and Social Committee represents the various economic and social components of organised civil society. It is an institutional consultative body established by the 1957 Treaty of Rome. Its consultative role enables its members, and hence the organisations they represent, to participate in the Community decision-maki ng process. The Committee has 344 members, who are appointed by the Council of Ministers.