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Mobility and Transport
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The EU-Canada Air Transport Agreement, signed on 17/18 December 2009, is so far the most ambitious air transport agreement between the EU and a major partner in the world. This agreement will enter into force once the internal EU procedure will be finalised.

The Agreement is ground-breaking in the aviation world as it provides for unprecedented levels of liberalisation in terms of traffic rights as well as of foreign investment in airlines. It was negotiated by the Commission under a mandate received from the Council in October 2007, and has replaced bilateral air services agreements concluded between EU Member States and Canada. The Agreement has significantly improved both the connections between respective markets and people-to-people links, and seeks to create new investment opportunities through a gradual liberalisation of foreign ownership rules with respect to airlines. It includes a gradual phasing-in of traffic rights, mutual investment opportunities, as well as far reaching cooperation on a number of issues including safety, security, social matters, consumer protection, environment, air traffic management, competition law and state aid.

Under the Agreement, EU airlines and Canadian airlines are allowed to operate direct flights between any point in Canada and any point within the EU. The Agreement also removes all restrictions on the number of weekly flights between Canada and the EU, the capacity and prices offered by airlines. Further traffic rights will be liberalised gradually in parallel with the opening up of investment opportunities in airlines. This will eventually establish a fully Open Aviation Area between the EU and Canada. EU nationals will be allowed to establish operations in Canada and freely invest in Canadian airlines and vice versa.

Furthermore, the Agreement will address common challenges such as safety, security or the environment. Both sides agreed to closely cooperate in order to mitigate the effects of aviation on climate change. In the field of safety and security, the agreement envisages the mutual recognition of each other's standards and one-stop security. Specific provisions to improve consumer protection are also included. This will facilitate the operations of airlines and airports, and will reduce hassle for passengers. The text provides for a strong mechanism to ensure that fair competition between operators is always maintained, which is another novelty in international aviation.

For further information and figures on EU-Canada aviation relations and EU aviation in general, please consult the Atlas of the Sky.

Links

External relations with Canada

Communication from the Commission: Developing a Community civil aviation policy towards Canada [COM(2006)871]

Final text of the EU-Canada Air Transport Agreement