Resolution on international aviation agreements

The European Parliament adopted by 443 votes to 53, with 13 abstentions, a resolution on international aviation agreements tabled by the Committee on Transport and Tourism.

Parliament recalled that the Commission proposed in the aviation strategy for Europe to open negotiations on civil aviation safety with Japan and China, and on EU-level air services agreements with China, Turkey, Mexico, six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Armenia, and the ASEAN.

The Council authorised the Commission to open negotiations on aviation safety agreements with Japan and China and on EU-level air services agreements with the ASEAN, Turkey, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Parliament’s consent is required for concluding international agreements covering fields to which the ordinary legislative procedure applies.

Members stressed that, in order to be able to make its decision on whether or not to grant consent at the end of the negotiations, Parliament needs to follow the process from the beginning. They recalled that the Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission states, in particular, that Parliament should receive from the outset, regularly, and where necessary on a confidential basis, full details of the procedure in progress at all stages of the negotiations.

The information must be forwarded to Parliament in such a way that, if necessary, it can deliver an opinion.

Parliament expects the Commission to:

• provide Parliament’s committee responsible with information about its intention to propose negotiations with a view to concluding and amending international air agreements;
• reach arrangements with the Council and with negotiating partners in order to provide Members of the European Parliament with access to all relevant documents, including the negotiating directives and consolidated texts, in parallel and on an equal footing with the Council;
• report back to Parliament on how its opinions are taken into account.

Members noted that the Rules of Procedure allow Parliament ‘on the basis of a report from the committee responsible to adopt recommendations and require them to be taken into account before the conclusion of the international agreement under consideration’.