EU wil afspraken over vrijere luchtvaart (en)
Two years after the "open skies" rulings confirming the EU's external competence with regard to certain aspects of international air services agreements,[1] the Commission is today presenting a strategic approach to develop the external aspect of the internal aviation market. The European Commission wishes to create a common airspace with neighbouring countries by 2010 and is therefore recommending that the Council authorise it to start negotiations aimed at ambitious air agreements with China and Russia without further ado. "International air traffic regulations are in need of modernising. By creating a single aviation market, the European Union has opened up new opportunities for airlines and passengers. Common markets have yet to be created between the European Union and third countries," said Vice-President Jacques Barrot, adding, "Europe's capacity to build new markets, in relationships of trust with its partners, will give air traffic worldwide a major boost."
In addition to bringing the existing bilateral agreements between Member States and non-EU countries into line with European law, the Commission's policy is targeted at two major objectives. Firstly, its ambition is to create a common airspace with the EU's neighbouring countries in the Mediterranean and along its eastern borders. This airspace should have common security and safety rules and should create new economic opportunities throughout the region. This would also be a sectoral contribution to the European Union's neighbourhood policy. The Commission is currently negotiating air agreements with Morocco and the countries of the Western Balkans.
Secondly, the Commission plans shortly to initiate negotiations aimed at global agreements in major world regions. It intends to open up world markets gradually and in fair conditions. This strategy is clearly in the interests of Europe's economy and air carriers and passengers in Europe.
Negotiations leading to an air agreement with the United States have been going on since 2003. Creating an open air space with the US continues to be a priority for the European Union, given the scale of the trans-Atlantic market. The Commission is now recommending that negotiations be opened also with China and Russia with a view to concluding air agreements which would systematise the considerable new relationships between the European Union and these two major partners. The European Union is the destination of 75% of all passenger traffic from Russia. China, with its great potential for growth, is currently engaged in gradually opening up its air market.
The agreements are aimed both at economic opening up and at cooperation with a view to harmonising the rules governing the markets. An agreement with Russia would also put an end to disputes regarding a situation prejudicial to European airlines by making arrangements to eliminate the fees imposed for overflying Siberia, a principle established during negotiations prior to Russia's joining the World Trade Organisation.
Commission Vice-President Jacques Barrot will be visiting Washington on 21 and 22 March to review the progress of negotiations with the United States and renew the relationship of positive cooperation with the new American administration.
Annex 1 - Background information on the development of EU-China aviation relations
1. EU-China aviation relations - some facts and figures
The People's Republic of China, the world's most populous nation, is becoming an increasingly important partner for the European Union. Following EU enlargement in 2004, the EU is now China's largest trading partner.
The Chinese aviation market is among the fastest growing in the world. The average annual growth rate of air travellers in China has been approximately 16% between 1958 and 2002. Growth this year is expected at some 15% and very high growth rates are expected to prevail until 2020. Over the next 10 years, China is expected to become the largest Asian market and leading hub for air passenger traffic as well as for international cargo.
Since 1990, the number of seats available on scheduled non-stop flights between the EU and China has increased from approx. 275,000 to nearly 5.4 million in 2004 (+1,950%). The 2004 agreement between China and the EU under which Europe will enjoy an "Approved Destination Status" is expected to attract large numbers of Chinese tourists to our continent.
2. Towards an open EU-China aviation agreement
China's civil aviation sector is undergoing considerable change these years and China is gradually seeking to open both its domestic and international markets to more competition.
The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai will provide major impetus to the development of an efficient and modern aviation industry and to the massive infrastructure investments necessary in the Chinese aviation sector.
The proposed EU-China aviation agreement would establish a coherent framework in which to develop comprehensive EU-China aviation relations in the coming years. Such a framework would inter alia aim to improve market opportunities for both sides, ensure compliance with EU law; promote the approximation of aviation laws where appropriate and establish joint mechanisms for co-operation on security, safety and environmental standards, as well as foster technical and industrial co-operation.
As a consequence of the "open skies" judgements of the European Court of Justice on 5 November 2002, the bilateral agreements between Member States and China are unsustainable and need in any case to be amended.
In view of (i) the growing importance of the Chinese aviation market, (ii) the difficulties encountered by individual Member States in seeking to bring bilateral agreements into conformity with EU law and (iii) the benefits of replacing the fragmented European approach in its relations with China with a co-ordinated and liberal approach, the Commission is of the view that it is now time to develop a wider range of opportunities between China and the Community in air transport.
A comprehensive open aviation agreement between China and the EU would entail significant economic benefits to both sides.
As part of a closer EU-China co-operation in civil aviation, an EU-China Aviation Summit will be jointly organised in June in Beijing.
Annex 2 - Background information on the development of EU-Russia aviation relations
1. EU - Russia aviation relations - some facts and figures
The EU is Russia's largest trade partner. Aviation is a particularly dynamic transport sector and is indispensable to link the European Union with the Russian Federation. Russian international passenger traffic is largely concentrated on European destinations. In 2002, 4.3 million passengers travelled between Russia and Western Europe and 1 million passengers between Russia and Central and Eastern Europe. Around 75% of all Russian passenger traffic is directed towards European destinations and is forecast to grow by 5.8% in the years to 2007[2].
Air traffic between EU and Russia rose significantly in the last ten years. Weekly frequencies between EU Member States and Russia rose from 279 in 1992 to 465 in 2003. For the European Union, the importance of the aviation relations with Russia increased following the accession of the new Member States and the considerable growth of the aviation sector in Russia (+ 9.9% in 2003 for passenger transport).
Together with China, Russia is one of the largest "high potential" tourist markets in the world. The overall number of tourists to the Russian Federation grew by 7.3% in 2002 (Europe average 2.3%). Russian tourism is of increasing importance to the EU tourist industry, in particular in the Mediterranean area. Russian tourists are among the world's top spenders in international tourism (12 billion US Dollar in 2002).[3]
2. Towards an EU- Russia aviation agreement
The bilateral aviation relations of the EU Member States have long been hampered by such issues as limited market access and restrictive agreements, difficulties for Russian-built aircraft to meet EU safety and environmental standards, and above all the commercially-damaging and discriminatory Russian scheme requiring EU carriers to make payments for flying over Russian territory towards destinations in China or Japan (Siberian overflight payments).
The proposed agreement would establish a coherent framework in which to constructively develop EU-Russia aviation relations in the coming years bringing about significant economic benefits. Such a framework would inter alia aim to improve market opportunities for both sides, ensure compliance with EU law, promote convergence of aviation laws, establish joint mechanisms for co-operation on security, safety and environmental standards, and strengthen co-operation in the industrial field. It would also establish a transition period for the phasing-out of Siberian overflight payments by 2013.
The prospect of creating new commercial opportunities and establishing new areas of cooperation in air transport between the EU and Russia, the new EU competence in external aviation policy, as well as the need to bring existing bilateral aviation relations into conformity with EU law mean that the time is ripe for Europe to adopt a coherent and wide-ranging approach to aviation relations with the Russian Federation.
[1] See, in particular, COM(2002) 649 and COM(2003) 94.
[2] Source: IATA
[3] Source: World Tourism Organisation (WTO), Tourism highlights 2003