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Notiziario Marketpress di
Martedì 28 Novembre 2006 |
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UE-RUSSIA LE COMPAGNIE AEREE EUROPEE NON DOVRANNO PIÙ PAGARE PER L´UTILIZZO DELLE ROTTE TRANSIBERIANE
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Brussels, 28 novembRe 2006 - Eu and Russia agree on abolition of € 300 million Siberian overflight payments Six months after having obtained the mandate from Eu Member States, the European Commission has succeeded in negotiating an agreement with the Russian Federation on the longstanding issue of Siberian overflight payments. It finally solves a 20 years thorny conflict between the Eu Member States and the Russian Federation, costing around € 300 million to Eu airlines in 2006. Vice-president Jacques Barrot initialled today the agreement with the Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin in the margins of the Eu-russia summit in Helsinki on 24 November in the presence of the Finnish transport Minister Ms Susanna Huovinen. Jacques Barrot highlighted the agreement as a "big step forward in our relations and towards a normalisation of aviation relations between the Russian Federation and the Eu". He said: "This is a big success; the agreement will significantly improve the competitive situation of our European airlines and ease their operations between Europe and the growing markets in Asia. It also opens a wide range of opportunities for strengthening Eu-russia relations, in particular in the transport field". Eu Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson welcomed the agreement. “This issue has been a trade irritant for the Eu and Russia for a long time. Its resolution is important and shows that the Eu and Russia can resolve trade disputes by negotiation where there is a will to do so” he said. The agreement initialled today puts an end to a longstanding practice which, according to the Eu, is not in line with international law, in particular the Chicago Convention. In addition to normal air navigation charges, Eu airlines have to pay royalties to the Russian company Aeroflot in order to obtain the right to fly over Russian territory on routes between the Eu and Japan, China and South Korea. Ec airlines had to pay around 300 Million Euro in 2006. The payments were anchored in the obligation for Ec carriers to conclude a commercial agreement with Aeroflot contained in bilateral air services agreements between Member States and the Russian Federation. The main achievements of the agreement are as follows: Ec carriers will not have to conclude mandatory commercial agreements with Aeroflot for the use of Trans-siberian routes; New operations by Ec carriers on the Trans-siberian routes in the transition period will be free of payments; Not later than 31 December 2013, all royalty payments will be abolished and airlines will have to pay only air navigation charges in line with the Chicago Convention; All fees and charges in the new system will be cost-based and transparent; During the period between 2010 and 2013, existing payments will be gradually reduced; Ec airlines will be able to keep overflight frequencies currently leased from Aeroflot in the new system; The Russian Federation agrees to grant new frequencies in the framework of bilateral negotiations; All principles agreed between the Eu and the Russian Federation will have to be implemented in bilateral air services agreements between Member States and Russia before May 2007. The agreed principles of the agreement will lead to the amendment of the relevant provisions in the bilateral air services agreements between Member States and the Russian Federation which remain in force. . |
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