Brussels, 03/12/2007 (Agence Europe) - EU transport ministers from the member states reached a political agreement on Friday 30 November, on the proposal to modernise common rules on the use of air transport services. They have taken up the main amendments voted for by the European Parliament during its first reading (EUROPE 9466) on plane ticket prices. An agreement in the second reading is expected soon (co-decision procedure).
The text on which the Council reached an agreement will enable travellers to be better informed and compare prices more easily: published prices are expected to include all taxes, payments, surcharges and other costs. The text also: bans any discriminatory pricing for travellers based on their place of residence or their nationality; streamlines the financial conditions that Community airlines have to fulfil, as well as rules on public service obligations; improves cooperation between airports serving the same city; and abolishes the last remaining restrictions in the bilateral air service agreements between member states (those involving intra-Community air services and code-sharing: EUROPE 9234).
The Commission presented this proposal in July 2006 in an effort to make the regulation in the third aviation package of 1991 into a single text. The European commissioner for transport, Jacques Barrot, was delighted that this agreement between the Council and Parliament was obtained in less than a year and declared: “The liberalisation of air transport is a European success story: citizens enjoy more travel opportunities and lower fares than ever before. Today, we consolidate this success by ensuring fair competition between airlines and strengthening safety control”. (A.ABy)