Brussels, 09/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - As expected, on 7 March, Ukraine and the European Commission began negotiations on an overall “open skies” air agreement. The agreement that, according to Russian agency Novecom which broke the news, will come into effect in 2010 at the earliest, will create an air space without borders and, therefore, open up each of the parties' air space, in line with the civil aviation policy pursued by the EU with neighbouring countries (COM (2004) 74). This policy was launched in 2004, alongside the European Neighbourhood Policy.
These negotiations begin at a time when debate is raging over a similar agreement, reached on 2 March, between the United States and the Commission. The agreement with Ukraine will also replace existing bilateral agreement, some arrangements of which were ruled incompatible with Community law by the Court of Justice in November 2002. It will open up the EU and Ukrainian air markets and also see Kiev bring its legislation into line with European standards.
This overall agreement will be the second stage in enlarging air relations between the EU and Ukraine under the common air space development plan. As part of this plan, the Commission, on 27 September 2005, proposed that negotiations on an overall agreement be opened. On 1 December of the same year, the two parties signed a horizontal air agreement, to remove restrictions based on nationality in the bilateral agreements. This horizontal agreement allows any Community airline to fly between any member state in which it is established and Ukraine. The Commission's negotiating mandate for this overall agreement was granted by the Council on 12 December 2006.
An overall agreement has already been signed with Morocco (see EUROPE 9326) and a proposal to open negotiations on a similar agreement was put to Canada on 9 January 2007. (aby)