EU-US Open Skies: MEPs call for open markets
The European Parliament regrets continuing US restrictions on EU companies' ownership of stakes in US airlines, calls for better protection of air passengers' personal data, and says airlines from both sides should be included in emission trading rules, in a resolution passed on Thursday.
The EU-US aviation markets together account for about 60% of world air traffic. The first-stage EU-US Open Skies Agreement, in force from 30 March 2008, allowed any EU or US airline to fly between any point in the EU and the US. This considerably increased competition and the number of flights available to consumers. A preliminary agreement on a second-stage Open Skies deal, planned for 2010, was reached on 25 March.
Foreign ownership restrictions
The US currently does not allow any foreign company to buy a controlling stake in a US airline, which prevents a full opening of the market. In its resolution, Parliament regrets "the absence of substantive progress in removing outdated regulatory constraints in the area of foreign investment" and the continuing "unbalanced restrictions on foreign ownership and control in the United States". It also "recalls that the final goal of the EU-US Air Transport Agreement is the complete opening of the market without any restrictions from either side".
Personal data protection
Parliament "emphasises that the privacy of European and US citizens should be respected when personal passenger data are exchanged between the EU and the US". MEPs believe that all transfers of personal data from the EU and its Member States for security purposes should be based on international agreements, with the necessary safeguards, and comply with data-protection legislation at national and EU levels. Here they also stress "the urgency of arriving at worldwide standards on data protection and privacy".
Substandard carriers
Parliament "reiterates the importance of the European blacklist of substandard carriers and the US system for monitoring carrier standards, and calls on both parties to share information in this area".
Emissions trading
Parliament "recognises that the aviation sector has several negative environmental effects, in particular as a source of noise and as a contributor to climate change, and that these effects will increase with the growth of aviation". It regrets that Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) rules are not part of the 25 March preliminary agreement, and expects further talks with the US with a view to incorporating the ETS by 2012.
Next on the Open Skies agenda
MEPs ask the Commission to start the third-stage negotiations with a view to including, by 31 December 2013, further liberalisation of traffic rights, additional foreign investment opportunities, environmental and infrastructure constraints on the exercise of traffic rights, and better co-ordination of passenger rights policies "in order to ensure the highest possible level of protection for passengers".