On Friday 8 December, the European Commission and China concluded two agreements to strengthen access to markets and competitiveness in the European aeronautical sector in China.
The bilateral agreement civil aviation safety agreement will help to significantly reduce the unnecessary duplication of evaluation and certification activities for aeronautical products by the Civil Aviation Authorities and will also harmonise environmental and security standards.
The horizontal agreement provides guarantees that EU airlines will be able to fly to China from any EU member state. Up until now, only airlines in certain member states have been able to do this. After the entry into force of this text, other agreements on aviation services are expected to follow and also harmonise Chinese and EU legal standards.
The European Commissioner for Transport Transport, Violeta Bulc, welcomed these agreements which she said would, “allow for more flights between the two regions, boost the EU's trade in aircraft and related products, and ensure the highest levels of air safety."
The aviation process had been launched by a Council decision on 7 March 2016, which provide a mandate to the Commission to begin these negotiations (see EUROPE 11506). The two parties now have to sign and ratify these agreements according to their internal procedures. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)