Council of EU greenlights signing of ‘open skies’ agreement with Ukraine
This was said in a press release of the Council of the EU on June 28.
"The Council today gave the go-ahead for the signing of three neighbourhood aviation agreements – with Ukraine, Armenia and Tunisia – as well as an air transport agreement with Qatar. These agreements will open up the air transport market, offering new opportunities for both consumers and operators. Through more efficient connectivity, they will promote trade, tourism, investment and economic and social development," the statement reads.
The three neighbourhood agreements will remove market restrictions in relation to the EU’s neighbouring countries and associate these countries with the EU’s internal aviation market, as they will adopt EU aviation standards and implement EU aviation rules.
The decisions on Ukraine, Armenia and Qatar enable application of the agreement on a provisional basis, pending the completion of the procedures necessary for its entry into force.
The agreements are expected to be signed in autumn 2021. Every agreement will then need to be ratified by each member state, the Union and the other party.
The European Common Aviation Area (ECAA) is a bilateral agreement between the EU and third countries that establishes common safety standards and liberalizes aviation market relations, ensuring more efficient and safer use of airspace.
Negotiations on the ECAA with Ukraine ended in 2013, but the signing of the agreement was blocked due to the UK-Spain conflict over the status of Gibraltar airport.
ish
