Brussels, 05/12/2007 (Agence Europe) - On 4 December, the EU and Arab Emirates signed an aviation agreement which allows European airlines to fly between the United Arab Emirates and any EU member state. The agreement removes nationality restrictions in the bilateral air services agreements, and therefore allows any EU airline to operate flights between any EU member state where it is established and the United Arab Emirates. It acknowledges the existence of the European single market for air transport in relations between the EU and the United Arab Emirates.
The so-called 'horizontal' aviation agreement does not replace the bilateral agreements in place between the EU member states and the United Arab Emirates, but brings them in line with EU law, by removing the nationality restrictions contained in bilateral air services agreements. Horizontal agreements have been negotiated with 29 countries worldwide. About 600 air services agreements have already been modified by the joint efforts of the European Commission and member states to replace nationality rules with the principle of EU airline designation. In a press release the European Commission underlines the agreement as an important step in the aviation relations between the EU and the United Arab Emirates, which “is the first country in the Gulf region to sign such an agreement”. (O.L.)