Brussels, 12/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - Formal negotiations between Tunisia and the EU for an “open sky” type of airline transport agreement begin in Brussels on Tuesday 13 November, according to an announcement made in Tunis by the minister for transport, Abdelkarim Harouni, on Friday 9 November. The first exploratory talks took place at the beginning of 2012 and revealed sharp Tunisian misgivings about commitments to open up their market, and further negotiations were postponed at the last minute. A month ago, the Tunisian government agreed to open up its market to the Qataris, sparking another polemic in the country.
Morocco is currently the only country from the region to have concluded an agreement of this kind with the EU. In its recent annual report, the national airline, RAM, underlined that since December 2006 (when the agreement was signed) it has had to confront, very robust competition from low-cost airlines which are, continuing their offensive and development of new routes, as well as increasing the frequency of flights, with continually falling prices. According to the airline's annual report, RAM's financial situation has clearly deteriorated since the 2009 tax year. Last May, Israel negotiated a similar agreement that was about to be signed but was ultimately rejected by the Knesset. (FB/transl.fl)