EU/China Agreement: air services

The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted the report by Tomasz Piotr PORĘBA (ECR, PL) on the draft Council decision on the conclusion on behalf of the Union of the Agreement between the European Union and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on certain aspects of air services.

The committee recommended that the European Parliament give its consent to the conclusion of the agreement.

To comply with the ruling of the Court of Justice and in accordance with the mechanisms and directives in the Annex to the ‘horizontal autorisation’, the Commission negotiated an agreement with China that replaces certain provisions in the existing bilateral air services agreements between Member States and China.

Negotiations were successfully concluded in December 2017 and the agreement was signed on 20 May 2019 in Brussels.

The agreement is a direct consequence of European Court of Justice case law. It will serve a fundamental objective of the external aviation policy of the Union by bringing existing bilateral air services agreements in line with Union law with a key partner of the European Union.

The agreement will amend or complement provisions in bilateral air services agreements only to the extent necessary to ensure compliance with Union law. Its provisions supersede or complement the existing provisions in 27 bilateral air services agreements between Member States and China.