Brussels, 04/07/2005 (Agence Europe) - The EU and China have confirmed their resolve to strengthen dialogue and cooperation in the field of civil aviation, by signing a joint declaration on 29 June, during the EU-China summit on aviation in Beijing. Both parties - via Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot and China's Civil Aviation Minister Yang Yuanyuan - agreed to begin formal negotiations with a view to resolving the outstanding legal issues in bilateral air services agreements between the Member States and China. A preparatory meeting for formal negotiations should be held in September 2005 between the services of the Commission, the representatives of CAAC (China's civil aviation administration) and Chinese carriers, so that talks may begin in November. The EU and China are also expected to engage in negotiations over coming months with a view to concluding a technical cooperation agreement in civil aviation including matters such as safety, security and air traffic management and the related SESAME programme. The approximation of legislation on competition and environmental protection will also be the subject of open dialogue.
Furthermore, the Commission called on the Council for authorisation to negotiate a comprehensive agreement on air services. The request will be examined by the British Presidency over the next six months. The Commission will keep the CAAC directly informed of progress made in this examination and an exploratory dialogue may open “at a time judged the most appropriate by both parties”. Finally, the Commission and the CAAC agreed to set up a steering group that will monitor progress in the entire range of areas of cooperation and regularly report progress to the EU-China summits.