On Friday 6 September, the ambassadors of the Member States to the EU (Coreper) approved the horizontal aviation agreement between the European Union and Bangladesh (see EUROPE 13428/16). Signed in June, the agreement will allow any EU airline to operate flights between Bangladesh and any of the seven EU Member States whose bilateral air services agreements with Bangladesh did not previously allow this.
Previously, these bilateral air services agreements only authorised airlines owned and controlled by the signatory Member State or its nationals to operate flights between that country and the third country. By granting all EU air carriers non-discriminatory access to routes between the EU and Bangladesh, this agreement promotes open and fair competition and will improve connectivity.
Coreper is expected to suggest that the Council approve the agreement at one of its upcoming meetings, before forwarding the draft decision to the European Parliament for approval.
Read the decision: https://aeur.eu/f/dcy (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)