EU Council agreement on establishment of common aviation zone with Armenia to be signed in autumn

Yesterday, the Council of the European Union approved the agreements on the establishment of a common aviation zone with three EU neighbors, Ukraine, Armenia and Tunisia, as well as with Qatar. The EU Delegation to Armenia informs that the mentioned agreements will allow opening the air transport market, offering new opportunities to consumers and airlines.

“Thanks to a more effective connection, a new impetus will be given to trade, tourism, investment promotion, socio-economic development. The EU Council is now ready to sign four important agreements in the field of aviation, which will provide market access to airlines, expand connectivity and freedom of movement for citizens. The agreements will also provide the highest level of security, and measures will be taken to ensure a level playing field,” said Nuno Santos, Portugal’s current Minister for Infrastructure, who holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council. The three agreements to be signed with the countries of the Neighborhood will remove market restrictions on neighboring EU countries, associate those countries with the EU internal aviation market, as they will introduce EU aviation standards, and apply EU aviation rules. The agreement with Qatar will open the market equally for all 27 member states ․ The modernization of the rules and standards for air transportation in Qatar and EU will be ensured. The agreement will be the first of its kind, the EU “among the countries of the Persian Gulf.” The provisions of all four agreements will enshrine environmental, social, fair competition requirements, and strong enforcement mechanisms to avoid any distortion or other abuse of competition. The agreements with Ukraine, Armenia and Qatar, according to the adopted decisions, can be temporarily implemented until the completion of the procedures required by the domestic legislation for the documents to enter into force. The four agreements are expected to be signed in the fall of 2021. The agreements must then be ratified by all EU member states, the signatory to the Union,” the statement said.