Communication from the Commission - Developing the agenda for the Community’s external aviation policy {SEC(2005( 336}
Date: 2005-03-11
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, air traffic, air transport, economic policy, provision of services, third country

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 11.03.2005 
COM(2005) 79 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 

Developing the agenda for the Community’s external aviation policy 

{SEC(2005( 336} 

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I. 

1. 

2. 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 

Developing the agenda for the Community’s external aviation policy 

THE NEW CONTEXT 

The so-called “open skies”1 judgements of 5 November 2002 of the Court of Justice 
of  the  European  Communities  marked  the  start  of  a  Community  (EC)  external 
aviation  policy  which  this  communication  is  seeking  to  develop  in  terms  of  the 
economic issues at stake for European industry.  

This  case  law  testifies  to  the  Community’s  powers  in  the  field  of  international  air 
services. Whereas, traditionally, these services had always been governed by bilateral 
agreements between states, the coming into being of the EC heralded the arrival on 
the scene of a new heavyweight player with responsibilities for external relations in 
the field of aviation. 

In  order  to  ensure  that  this  change  is  successful,  a  progressive  approach  has  been 
adopted.  In  two  communications2  which  followed  the  judgements,  the  European 
Commission defined guidelines and mechanisms designed to cope with this new state 
of affairs from both a legal and a political point of view. Since then, the institutions 
and the Member States have evolved modes of action and ways of cooperation in the 
field of international air transport. 

From  a  legal  viewpoint,  the  “open  skies”  judgements  mean  that  Member  States 
cannot  act  in  isolation  when  negotiating  international  air  service  agreements; 
henceforth these services will need to be treated as a subject of common interest in 
an  overall  EC  context.  This  means,  in  the  first  instance,  that  the  existing  2 000 
bilateral  agreements  will  need  to  be  adapted  in  order  to  bring  them  into  line  with 
Community  law.  To  that  end,  a  new  complementarity  must  be  developed  between 
Member States and the Community, failing which everyone - operators in particular - 
will face the threat of paralysis. 

From  an  economic  and  political  point  of  view,  the  introduction  of  an  external 
aviation  policy  is  underpinned  by  a  desire  on  the  part  of  the  EC  to  move  towards 
greater  flexibility  and  openness  in  the  area  of  international  civil  aviation  reform, 
based  on  both  bilateral  and  multilateral  actions.  More  specifically,  this  involves 
taking  steps  to  ensure  that  agreements  are  no  longer  developed  between  Member 
States and third countries but rather between the EC and those countries, on the basis 
of a double and indivisible agenda aimed at: 

–  creating  new  economic  opportunities  by  opening  up  markets  and  promoting 
investment  opportunities  as  much  as  possible.  As  with  the  internal  market,  this 
approach should produce positive effects not only for the users, who would be the 
potential beneficiaries of better, more varied and cheaper services, but also for the 
operators,  who  would  enjoy  new  opportunities  and  a  competitive  edge.  Lastly, 

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Cases C-466/98, C-467/98, C-468/98, C-469/98, C-471/98, C-472/98, C-475/98, C-476/98. 
COM (2002) 649 final (19.11.02) and COM (2003) 94 final (26.02.2003) 

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economic  opening-up  would  need  to  serve  as  a  catalyst  to  innovation,  thereby 
benefiting the sector as a whole; 

the  economic  conditions  governing 

–  ensuring fair competition, i.e. promoting regulatory convergence, be it with regard 
the  markets 
to 
(implementation  of  competition  regulations,  State  subsidies  or  standards  more 
specifically linked to aviation such as reservation systems, ground handling, etc.) 
or to social, environmental and safety reliability. 

the  operation  of 

These  two  aspects  reinforce  each  other  in such  a  way  as  to  form  an  ambitious  and 
balanced model, which serves as a guide for the EC in its approach to international 
aviation  relations.  This  does  not  mean  that  it  is  a  purely  theoretical  model:  indeed, 
each and every agreement that might be proposed would need to be modelled on a 
case-by-case basis in order to satisfy, in a suitable manner, the mutual interests of the 
parties and reveal a genuine added value, notably in keeping with: 

–  the importance of the partnership envisaged economically and politically,  

–  the level of market opening, 

–  the  regulatory  environment  already  developed  and,  in  particular,  the  policy 

applied in order to guarantee fair competition. 

Furthermore, this agenda will need to evolve in total synergy with the promotion of 
sustainable  development  in  the  aviation  sector.  By  acting  with  a  single  voice,  the 
Community will be best placed to counter the negative effects on the environment of 
the growth of the aviation sector, notably in terms of climate change.3 

3. 

Such a policy is inspired both by the EC’s aviation successes at an internal level and 
by  its  unrivalled  ability  to  face  up  to  external  challenges;  both  of  these  aspects  are 
key to explaining the prosperity of the EC’s aviation sector. 

The international context likewise constitutes a clear argument in this direction with 
the  continuous  growth  of  international  traffic  into  the  future,  coupled  with  the  fact 
that  the  EC  already  occupies  a  position  of  importance  in  the  international  aviation 
landscape  (see  SEC(2005)336).  Consequently,  the  aviation  industry  -  while  it  may 
have its own constraints and characteristics – can no longer remain isolated from the 
rest  of  the  operators  fully  engaged  in  the  global  economy.  Its  assets  must  be  given 
the opportunity to go international, its competitiveness to grow thanks to competition 
on a world scale and its services outside the EC to grow in number and quality, all to 
the maximum advantage of users. 

At the internal level, a policy encompassing the full gamut of economic, social and 
environmental conditions in the air transport sector is currently in place. By focusing 
on sustainable competitiveness in the air transport sector, the policy places this sector 
in  the  direct  wake  of  the  Lisbon  process.  In  parallel  with  the  opening-up  of  the 

3 

Note that a number of economic instruments have been envisaged as potential tools to counteract the 
impact  which  the  growth  in  air  traffic  will  have  on  the  environment.  The  Commission  intends  to 
publish,  later  in  2005,  a  communication  examining  in  greater  depth  the  principal  options  to  be 
considered and avenues to be explored. 

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market,  the  EC  has  set  up  a  regulatory  framework,  which  has  now  been  virtually 
finalised,  for  the  effective  and  safe  functioning  of  civil  aviation.  Attention  may  be 
drawn,  in  particular,  to  the  first  text  on  air  safety  in  2002,4  the  creation  of  the 
European  Aviation  Safety  Agency,5  or  again  in  2004,  the  ambitious  air  navigation 
initiative designed to create the Single European Sky.6 

There remains, however, a handicap of size: whereas the common commercial policy 
has  enabled  the  EC  to  dominate  international  commerce  up  to  the  present  day,  the 
aviation  market,  although  unified  through  the  common  transport  policy,  does  not 
possess  an  adequate  external  dimension.  Indeed,  the  success  of  the  internal  market 
and of the aviation sector, in particular, owes as much to its internal achievements as 
to its external projection.7 Without the latter, one runs the risk not only of hampering 
the  development  of  the  internal  policy  but  also  of  harming  the  competitiveness  of 
European industry. 

Whereas  air  transport  remains  one  of  the  sectors  in  which  the  EC  has  not  so  far 
exercised its representational and negotiating strength to the full,8 one cannot ignore 
the fact that the EC holds certain trump cards which will enable it to: 

–  Secure  the  recognition  of  the  regulatory  framework  developed  over  15  years 
within  its  own  institutional  structures  and  giving  it  unrivalled  experience  in  the 
field of civil aviation. By its very novelty  as  a  model  for  regional  integration,  it 
opens up unique prospects for cooperation with other regions of the world. 

–  Exercise, by virtue of speaking with a single voice, considerable weight not only 
in  external  relations  and  commercial  policy  but  also  in  other  areas  in  which  its 
bilateral  relations  with  the  whole  world  are  making  constant  progress,  based  on 
close and balanced partnerships. 

–  Offer  varied  back-up  policies  to  its  partners,  whether  in  terms  of  development 

cooperation, technology development partnership or technical assistance. 

II. 

THE COMMUNITY APPROACH TO BE IMPLEMENTED 

The  “open  skies”  judgements  identify  three  areas  coming  under  the  exclusive 
jurisdiction of the Community: computerised reservation systems, intra-Community 
tariffs and time slots, each of which is governed entirely by Community legislation. 
In point of fact, a much wider pool of assets is already in place. This has a tangible 
impact on the field of external aviation policy. For instance, the link between ‘traffic 
right’ and ‘time slot’ (area of Community competence) is an important factor in the 

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8 

Regulation (EC) No 2320/2002 of 16 December 2002 (OJ L 355, 30.12.2002)  
Regulation (EC) No 1592/2002 of 15 July 2002 (OJ L 243, 27.09.2002)  
Regulations  (EC) Nos  549/2004  of  10  March  2004  (framework  Regulation);  550/2004  of  10  March 
2004  (provision  of  services);  551/2004  of  10  March  2004  (airspace);  552/2004  of  10  March  2004 
(interoperability) (OJ L 96, 31.03.2003) 
The White Paper on the European transport policy (COM (2001) 370 final) stresses the urgent need for 
the Union “to develop an external dimension for air transport commensurate with the importance of the 
internal acquis”. 
The Commission stressed the urgent need to rectify this situation on a multilateral level by proposing in 
2002 that the EC should accede to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (SEC (2002) 381 final). 

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context of negotiations. Similarly, clauses on the safety and security of air transport 
in  an  agreement  must  be  negotiated  in  a  manner  that  is  consistent  with  what  the 
Community has already achieved in those areas. 

Undoubtedly,  the  acknowledgement  of  the  existence  of  this  area  of  Community 
competence  on  an  external  scale  has  naturally  caused  misunderstandings  and 
difficulties  both  for  the  Member  States  themselves  and  for  third  countries, 
accustomed as they have been for the last 50 years to dealing with these matters at a 
national  and  bilateral  level.  The  fact  remains,  however,  that  there  is  a  growing 
realisation  of  the  inevitability  of  the  transition  from  relations  based  on  bilateral 
agreements  to  a  policy  managed  at  Community  level,  even  if  the  Commission  has 
had to uphold or initiate infringement procedures in the face of persistent situations 
of illegality. 

The Community policy seeks, first and foremost, to draw the consequences of “open 
sky”  case  law  and  to  ensure,  in  general  terms,  that  all  international  air  service 
agreements  involving  Member  States  and  third  countries  are  in  compliance  with 
Community law. The genuine tool, moreover, for achieving this long-term policy has 
to  be  the  conclusion  of  ambitious  agreements  between  the  EC  and  its  partners  all 
over  the  world.  While  the  negotiation  of  an  agreement  with  the  United  States  is  a 
first  essential  stage,  other  agreements  will  need  to  follow  in  keeping  with  the 
interests of the European aviation industry. 

1. 

CONTINUED  STEPS  TO  BRING  EXISTING  BILATERAL  AGREEMENTS  INTO  LINE  WITH 
COMMUNITY LAW  

This objective, attributable to “open sky” case law, is vitally important not only for 
the EC and its Member States but also for the third countries concerned and for the 
European aviation sector and the users. It is doubly essential in order to: 

–  guarantee  the  same  rights  to  all  Community  operators  outside,  by  virtue  of  the 
principle of non-discrimination enshrined in the EC Treaty, while at the same time 
strengthening European industry by helping to bring companies together; 

–  ensure  that  trade  relations  based  on  these  agreements  are  not  unsettled  by  legal 
uncertainties or ultimately wrecked in the event of the continuation of the status 
quo. 

Consequently,  this  objective  will  need  to  be  accomplished  efficiently  and  within  a 
reasonable time scale. To this end, complementarity must be promoted with respect 
to the tools available, thereby leading to greater flexibility and efficiency.  

1.1. 

The  first  tool  is  bilateral  negotiation by  a  Member  State,  as  covered  by  Regulation 
(EC)  No  847/2004,9  which  provides  for  the  insertion  into  the  agreement  under 
discussion of standard clauses reflecting Community competence.  

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Regulation (EC) No 847/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the 
negotiation and implementation of air service agreements between Member States and third countries 
(OJ L 157, 30.4.2004) 

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In this way, existing agreements can be brought into line in the context of the regular 
ongoing contacts between Member States and their partners, thereby combining the 
continuity  and  development  of  international  air  services  while  at  the  same  time 
paying due regard to the new state of affairs prevailing in the sector.  

The  standard  clauses  provided  for  in  the  Regulation  were  devised  and  drawn  up 
jointly by the Commission and the Member States. In an effort to ensure flexibility, 
an examination will be conducted, in accordance with the comitology procedure, of 
any cases where it has not been possible to incorporate these clauses in an agreement. 
In such instances, it may be possible to authorise the conclusion of agreements which 
do not undermine the objectives of the EC’s common transport policy and which do 
not  otherwise  contravene  Community  law.  In  particular,  however,  the  fact  remains 
that  an  agreement  which  does  not  include  the  Community  designation  clause 
(whereby  all  Community  carriers  resident  in  the  territory  of  the  Member  State  in 
question are allowed to operate under this agreement) would have an impact on the 
objectives  of  this  common  policy.  Indeed,  in  breach  of  the  principle  of  freedom  of 
establishment laid down in Article 43 of the EC Treaty, such an agreement continues 
to  discriminate  between  Community  companies  on  the  grounds  of  nationality, 
thereby perpetuating any abnormal differences in access to external markets. 

Some 50 bilateral agreements between Member States and third countries have been 
amended. Nevertheless, there are still a large number of agreements which also need 
to be adapted in order to bring them into line with Community law.  

1.2. 

The second tool is bilateral negotiation at Community level in the framework of 
the so-called “horizontal mandate” which, on the basis of an agreement negotiated 
by  the  Commission,  permits  the  insertion  of  the  necessary  standard  clauses  in  the 
whole range of agreements concluded between the Member States and a given third 
country.  

By virtue of requiring just one single round of negotiations, an agreement of this kind 
has the advantage of enabling a third country to cut down on a series of individual 
negotiations  with  the  Member  States  with  which  it  has  links.  Thus,  with  legal 
certainty  rapidly  restored,  trade  relations  can  develop  unhindered.  Horizontal 
agreements  do  not  affect  traffic  rights  or  the  balance  of  the  agreements  concluded 
with the Member States. 

With  six  successful  negotiations  already  in  the  bag  (Chile,  Georgia,  Lebanon, 
Azerbaijan, Croatia, Bulgaria), and a series of negotiations planned, conditions seem 
favourable for progress along these lines at a faster rate. 

1.3.  Without  prejudice  to  the  foregoing,  the  Commission,  in  its  capacity  as  guardian  of 
the Treaties, will be at pains to secure full and effective enforcement of Community 
law.  

This  being  the  case,  the  magnitude  of  the  task  will  necessitate  genuine  working  in 
tandem and the use of all the tools that are available, in a way that is both pragmatic 
and pro-active. All means must be exhausted in a coordinated fashion so as to avoid 
any  premature  admission  of  failure  that  could  have  serious  legal  and  economic 
consequences for relations between Member States and third countries. In particular, 
in the event of difficulties in their negotiations, Member States will need to support 

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the Commission with a view to concluding horizontal agreements aimed at legalising 
their relations with a third country.  

Thus, not only the progress achieved by the Member States by dint of their tenacity 
along with a growing number of third countries but also the advances made by the 
Commission in the form of horizontal or global agreements will be major potential 
factors in promoting the application of Regulation (EC) No 847/2004.  

2. 

GRADUAL ADOPTION OF AMBITIOUS AGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY AND 
THIRD COUNTRIES 

Back  in  June  2003,  the  Commission  was  given  an  initial  mandate  to  negotiate  a 
global agreement with the United States. The conclusion of this agreement remains a 
top priority, in that it would seal the integration of the two largest aviation markets in 
the  world  and  would  send  out  a  strong  signal  on  the  way  to  a  new  regulatory 
framework for international civil aviation. 

The progress made in the discussions to date has not been negligible, in particular as 
regards the acceptance of the Community designation clause (i.e. the possibility for 
any European airline company to fly to the United States from any European airport) 
plus the definition of a framework for regulatory convergence, notably in the field of 
security and increased cooperation in the implementation of competition regulations.  

This being the case, and whereas an initial imbalance is caused by existing bilateral 
agreements  involving  certain  Member  States  and  the  United  States,  it  has  been 
impossible  to  restore  a  situation  that  is  more  favourable  to  Community  interests. 
While American  operators already enjoy access  to  the  EC  internal  aviation  market, 
the according of equivalent rights to Community carriers operating on United States 
routes still lies some distance away in the future.  

After  technical  consultations  during  a  period  marked  by  the  US  elections,  the 
Commission  intends  to  pursue  the  in-depth  discussions  on  the  basis  of  the 
conclusions of the Council of Transport Ministers held in June 2004, with a view to 
arriving at a more balanced agreement. 

The  Commission  was  given  other  negotiating  mandates  with  the  aim  of  reaching 
agreements  with  Romania,  Bulgaria,  the  countries  of  the  Western  Balkans  and 
Morocco;  in  substance,  the  agreements,  which  are  sufficiently  ambitious  to  go 
beyond the usual commercial aspects, seek to achieve broad cooperation between the 
parties. 

These initial mandates pave the way for:  

–  the creation of a common aviation area with neighbouring countries, and 

–  the conclusion of global agreements with other regions of the world which are of 

obvious interest to European industry.  

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2.1. 

Creation of a Common Aviation Area with neighbouring countries 

By  devoting  its  initial  proposals,  after  the  United  States,  to  the  enlarged  Union's 
neighbouring  countries,  the  Commission10  is  making  clear  the  obvious  priority  it 
accords  to  these  countries:  for  economic  reasons  (with  markets  essentially  turned 
towards the EC), but also for aviation policy reasons (greater operational efficiency, 
security  and  safety)  and  as  a  sectoral  contribution  to  the  Union’s  neighbourhood 
policy.  

The  diversity  of  the  countries  concerned  makes  it  necessary  to  distinguish  between 
various  groups.  All  the  same,  the  ultimate  objective  remains  the  achievement,  by 
2010,  of  a  Common  Aviation  Area  bringing  together  the  EC  and  all  its  partners 
located  along  its  southern  and  eastern  borders.  The  various  parties  would  share  the 
same market operation rules, not only from an economic point of view but also with 
regard to air traffic, security or air safety.  

2.1.1.  A first group would take in the countries engaged in pan-European cooperation in the 
field of aviation and viewed in a pre-accession context As far as these countries are 
concerned, the aim should be to achieve a full air transport agreement based on the 
internal aviation market. As with the previous enlargements, this attempt at upstream 
approximation  would  enable  these  partners  to  take  effective  action  ahead  of 
accession  by  promoting  the  necessary  economic  and  administrative  reforms.  The 
formula  based  on  the  European  Common  Aviation  Area  (ECAA)  would  be 
replicated.  While  negotiations  to  this  end  have  already  resumed  with  Romania, 
Bulgaria and the Western Balkans, steps should be taken to ensure that Turkey is also 
included.  

2.1.2.  A  second  group  is  made  up  of  the  countries  bordering  the  Mediterranean  and  with 
which, as part of the Barcelona process, the EU has already established close links. 
As  far  as  this  group  is  concerned,  the  Commission  recommends  that  Euro-
Mediterranean air transport agreements be concluded with as their key objectives the 
opening-up of markets, fair operating conditions and also more security, safety and 
respect  for  the  environment,  together  with  the  provision  of  support  for  these 
countries in the development of their aviation sector. With the negotiation of such an 
agreement with Morocco well on the way, a similar partnership with the EC’s other 
Mediterranean  neighbours  should  be  sought  without  delay,  to  be  negotiated  in  an 
overall  framework,  even  though,  where  necessary,  specific  aspects  will  need  to  be 
taken into consideration in the case of certain countries. 

2.1.3.  Russia is a priority not only by virtue of being a neighbouring country but also for 
reasons  peculiar  to  the  country  itself,  on  both  an  economic  and  a  political  level. 
Given the extent of its traffic to the outside (75% of which is directed towards the EC 
in  the  case  of  passenger  traffic),  that  country  should  be  offered  a  wide-ranging 
agreement  encompassing  several  specific  strands  and  seeking  to  promote  both 
economic opening-up and cooperation as a means of bringing markets together and 
developing  industrial  potential.  Such  an  agreement  would  be  in  line  with  the 
Partnership  and  Cooperation  Agreement  of  1994  and  the  ambition  announced  in 
2003 to create, along with that country, four common spaces, one of which would be 

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COM(2004) 74 final, 09.02.2004 

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a common economic space. It would also enable a line to be drawn under a dispute 
that  is  potentially  harmful  to  European  industry  by  laying  down  the  procedures  for 
abolishing payments for Siberian overflight rights, the underlying principle of which 
was adopted in the framework of the negotiations on Russian admission to the World 
Trade Organisation.  

If the Commission were now to present a recommendation seeking authorisation to 
conduct negotiations with Russia, proposals relating to other countries could follow, 
when the time came, on the basis of specific analyses. 

2.1.4.  The  continuing  development  of  the  aviation  sector  in  other  neighbouring  countries 
(Ukraine,  Moldavia,  Belarus,  Georgia,  Azerbaijan,  Armenia)  is  also  breaking  new 
ground  when  it  comes  to  their  gradual  integration  in  the  Common  Aviation  Area, 
alongside the reform of their civil aviation sector. The agreements could eventually 
evolve into a model based on the ECAA. The possibilities for technical and industrial 
cooperation, coupled with the benefits accruing from the adoption by these countries 
of higher standards based on Community rules would give added strength to such a 
prospect. 

2.1.5. 

In  parallel,  aviation  relations  will  need  to  be  strengthened  with  Central  Asia 
(Uzbekistan,  Kazakhstan,  Kirghizstan,  Tajikistan,  Turkmenistan),  starting  with 
horizontal  relations.  The  degree  of  interest  they  generate  in  the  context  of  the 
European  model  in  this  area  could  prompt  the  Commission  to  evaluate  the 
advisability  of  proposing  a  more  ambitious  negotiating  agenda.  This  would  also 
provide a way of working together in order to face up to any specific problems that 
might confront the Member States regarding their air services with these countries.  

2.2. 

Concluding global aviation agreements in a targeted fashion 

2.2.1.  The  need  to  stimulate  cooperation  in  the  aviation  sector  with  third  countries  is  not 
limited  to  transatlantic  relations.  In  this  particular  sector,  an  excessively  polarised 
and  fragmented  approach  to  external  relations  inhibits  the  development  and 
expansion of European industry and the internal market.  

Other  rapidly  expanding  parts  of  the  world  with  reference  to  which  a  short-term 
global  partnership  would  make  it  possible  to  anticipate  the  intensification  of 
economic  activities,  as  expected  over  the  coming  20  years,  deserve  the  EC’s 
immediate attention. Encouraged by the prospect of more open international markets 
operating  under  fair  and  equitable  conditions,  the  aviation  industry  endorses  the 
importance of such agreements. A number of the third countries targeted are already 
looking with interest at the possibility of new aviation relations with the EC.  

All future proposals will be the subject of an analysis, on a case-by-case basis, aimed 
at identifying the expected benefits and conditions associated with a partnership that 
is  both  advantageous  and  balanced  as  far  as  all  the  parties  are  concerned.  Three 
closely  linked  considerations  should  guide choices and  influence the  content  of  the 
negotiations: 

–  the  economic  importance  and  prospects  for  growth  and  improved  access  for  the 

EC with reference to specific markets; 

–  the need to reach agreement on what constitutes a fair competitive framework; 

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–  The  advantages  of  regulatory  convergence  based  on  the  EC’s  experience  of 
regional  economic  integration,  as  exemplified  by  technical,  technological  and 
industrial cooperation, benefiting the air transport system as a whole. 

2.2.2.  The Asian region will require special efforts to be made over the coming years.  

This is particularly true of China and India. These two partners have been identified 
by the principal European companies as target countries for the Community policy.11 
These pivotal Asia region players, backed by the largest populations in the world and 
by  rapidly  expanding  economies,  are  spoken  for  in  terms  of  sustained  air  traffic 
growth  (about  + 9%  per  annum  for  China  and  + 6%  per  annum  for  India  between 
now and 2007 for passenger traffic12). With their considerable but largely protected 
markets,  they  are  currently  pressing  ahead  with  aviation  sector  reforms  combining 
greater  access  and  modernisation,  all  of  which  could  usefully  be  boosted  by 
cooperation with the EC.  

Leaving aside the economic aspects which could be covered by aviation agreements, 
various forms of technical and technological cooperation, particularly in the areas of 
security and air navigation, should be discussed in depth with two countries that have 
demonstrated  their  eagerness  to  develop  modern,  efficient  and  safe  civil  aviation 
systems.  

Japan and South Korea, both with prosperous markets, should also be considered as 
desirable partners.  

In the Asia-Pacific area, requests by third countries for more open markets with the 
EC (Australia, New Zealand, Singapore) should be carefully assessed in the light of 
their  economic  repercussions,  the  competitive  situation  and  the  long-term  objective 
of  reforming  the  regulative  framework  governing  the  international  air  transport 
sector.  

2.2.3.  There  are  also  other  third  countries  which  stand  to  gain  economically  and/or 

politically from aviation negotiations with the EC.  

On  the  North  American  continent  -  along  with  Mexico  and  its  highly  promising 
aviation  market,  as  well  as  Canada  with  its  mature  and  not  insignificant  market  - 
there are opportunities in the short term for building new bridges over the Atlantic. In 
South America, Chile seems anxious to move quickly to deepen its relations with the 
EC, based on the same desire to ease international regulation of air services.  

Regional  cooperation,  particularly  with  Africa,  would  make  it  possible  to  share  the 
experience  of  the  internal  market  and  consolidate  the  exchanges  of  regulatory  and 
operational know-how, technology transfer and technical assistance with the regional 
entities concerned in all areas of civil aviation. 

2.2.4. 

In  order  to  bring  the  Community  aviation  negotiations  to  a  successful  conclusion, 
there  must  be  a  high  degree  of  cooperation  between  the  Member  States  and  the 

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AEA, “Future developments in international air transport to and from the EU – An AEA perspective”, 
October 2004 
IATA Passenger Forecast 2003-2007 

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Commission with each drawing on the expertise and experience of the others. Just as 
important  is  the  relationship  with  the  European  aviation  industry,  which  the 
Commission hopes to consolidate through a continuous and transparent exchange of 
information with the various interested parties, at every stage along the way. 

III. 

CONCLUSION 

Apart from aligning the existing bilateral agreements through the promotion of more 
effective  complementarity  between  the  tools  available  and  active  coordination 
between Member States and the Commission, the roadmap for implementing the EC 
external aviation policy incorporates two complementary objectives: 

–  Creation  by  2010  of  a  Common  Aviation  Area  comprising  the  EC  and  all  its 
partners located along its southern and eastern borders, with a view to achieving a 
high  degree  of  economic  and  regulatory  integration  of  aviation  markets  in  this 
area. 

–  Launching  in  the  short  term  of  targeted  negotiations  seeking  to  achieve 
global  agreements  in  the  major  regions  of  the  world,  with  the  aim  of 
strengthening  the  prospects  for  promoting  European  industry  and  ensuring  fair 
competition in the most dynamic world markets, while at the same time helping to 
reform international civil aviation.  

This agenda will involve the following short-term stages: 

–  negotiation,  at  a  sustained  pace,  of  horizontal  agreements  finalising  and 
accelerating  the  alignment  of  existing  agreements  with  Community  law,  as 
secured by the Member States in their bilateral relations;  

–  opening of new negotiations aimed at achieving global agreements, starting with 

negotiations involving China and Russia; 

–  successful  conclusion  of  the  agreements  currently  being  negotiated  and,  in 

particular, those involving the United States.  

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