EC/Georgia, Lebanon, Maldives, Moldova, Singapore and Uruguay Agreements: air services; accession of Bulgaria and Romania
PURPOSE: to amend Agreements on certain aspects of air services concluded between the European Community and third countries following the accession of Bulgaria and Romania.
LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Decision (2008/224/EC) on the conclusion of Protocols amending the Agreements on certain aspects of air services between the European Community and, respectively, the Government of Georgia, the Republic of Lebanon, the Republic of Maldives, the Republic of Moldova, the Government of the Republic of Singapore and the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, to take account of the accession to the European union of the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania.
CONTENT: following the judgements of the Court of Justice in the so-called “Open Skies” cases, on 5 June 2003 the Council granted the Commission a mandate to open negotiations with third countries on the replacement of certain provisions in existing agreements with a Community agreement (the “horizontal mandate”). The objectives of such agreements are to give all EU air carriers non-discriminatory access to routes between the Community and third countries, and to bring bilateral air service agreements between Member States and third countries in line with Community law.
The countries affected by these agreements are:
- Georgia (see CNS/2005/0009);
- Lebanon (see CNS/2005/0012);
- Maldives (see CNS/2006/0027);
- Moldova (see CNS/2005/0151);
- Singapore (see CNS/2005/0208);
- Uruguay (see CNS/2006/0016).
The Protocols amending the Agreements between the Community and the third countries is the most efficient instrument to bring existing bilateral air services agreements between Bulgaria and Romania with the above third countries into conformity with Community law. The Protocols provide for the necessary technical and linguistic adaptations of the horizontal agreements that ensue from the accession of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Romania.
The relevant provisions will be added to the Annex of each of the horizontal agreements between Georgia, Lebanon, the Maldives, Moldova, Singapore, Uruguay and the European Community.