Brussels, 10/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - In Singapore on 11-12 February for the EU-ASEAN Conference (a group of 10 countries from South-East Asia), European Commissioner for Transport Siim Kallas was hoping that he would return to Brussels with an agreement in his pocket for beginning negotiations with Singapore on an aviation agreement. An agreement of this kind, to replace bilateral agreements, was recently signed with Israel and another is also expected to be made official with Brazil soon.
The commissioner opened the conference with the Greek transport minister acting on behalf of the Greek Presidency and his counterpart from Laos, on behalf of the ASEAN Presidency, and Singapore. Kallas stated that “Asia is a fast growing aviation market that the EU must engage actively with. With a combined population of more than 1.1 billion, ASEAN and the EU have a huge potential to strengthen cooperation in the aviation sector and to generate substantial benefits for people on both sides”.
Bilateral agreements currently exist with Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia but the conference may help to explore possibilities for opening up negotiations for an inclusive aviation agreement with ASEAN. Such an agreement would open up the respective markets and align regulatory frameworks, particularly in terms of safety. After the summit, the commissioner would like to be able to request a mandate from the Council of Ministers of the EU. Bilateral meetings with transport departments from other Asian countries are planned to this end. The commissioner met his Vietnamese counterpart on Monday 10 February.
The Commissioner stated: “I am confident that the summit will mark the beginning of a new era in EU-ASEAN aviation relations”. He was accompanied by a delegation of 150 representatives from the airlines, airports, airspace industry, national governments and the European Commission. Business opportunities, trade barriers, air traffic safety and management will also be discussed. (MD/transl.fl)