Brussels, 05/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - Outside discussions on liberalisation of rail passenger transport (EUROPE 9041), the EU25 transport ministers, who met on 6 October under the chairmanship of Alistair Darling, will take stock of external relations in the field of air transport. In the context of negotiations with the United States for the creation of an open transatlantic aviation zone, the vice-president of the Commission responsible for transport, Jacques Barrot, will present the state of progress of technical discussions held from 13 to 15 September in Washington and his appreciation of the prospects for re-opening formal talks. Since adoption of the “roadmap” for cooperation between the Community and the Member States on external aviation policy (during the June Transport Council: see EUROPE 8979), the Commission submitted four requests for negotiation mandates - with India, Australia, New Zealand and Chile - that the Council must now examine. On the fringe of the Council, an agreement between the EU and the Republic of Chile on certain aspects of air services will be signed by Commissioner Barrot, Alistair Darling and the Chilean Transport Minister, Jaime Estévez. The Council is expected to reach general guidelines during the public debate on the proposal for a regulation on the rights of persons with reduced mobility when they travel by air, pending an opinion from the EP.
Under the section “miscellaneous”, the Commissioner will inform the Council of recent developments on air safety after the tragic accidents this summer, the Commission proposal of 22 September to amend EC Regulation 2320/02 to strengthen the effectiveness of legislation on air safety, the proposal to extend the powers of the European Air Safety Authority (Regulation 1592/2002) and the latest developments of the European programme for radio-navigation by satellite, Galileo. Barrot will present to the Council the new Commission guidelines on State aid to regional airports adopted on 6 September, as well as the communication proposing inclusion of aircraft operators in the EU's greenhouse gas emission trading system. Finally, the French delegation will speak on the impact that the rise in oil prices will have on road transport, and the Italian delegation will provide information on the next conference of transport ministers on the theme “Road Safety through Life-long Learning”, to be held in Verona on 4 and 5 November.