Luminiţa Odobescu, Romania's Permanent Representative to the European Union, Violeta Bulc, Commissioner for Transport Policy, and Feng Zhenglin, Director of the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration, signed two EU-China aviation agreements on Monday 20 May to strengthen cooperation between the two sides.
"These agreements represent a concrete proof of our close cooperation", said Ms Odobescu. "It will clearly give a full support to trade, tourism and a higher level of cooperation", Ms Bulc added, stressing the need to improve connectivity.
The first text signed is a bilateral civil aviation safety agreement to encourage trade in aircraft and aeronautical products. Through this text, duplications in terms of certificates and assessments will disappear, which will reduce costs.
The second text, which is a horizontal aviation agreement, will allow more European airlines to fly to China. Until now, only companies owned and controlled by a State or its nationals could fly between a Member State and China.
Both parties must now ratify the agreements before they can enter into force. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)