The UK transport department expects EU transport ministers to give the green light for the EC to negotiate aviation treaties with the USA at their 6 June meeting in Luxembourg. The move would lead to the scrapping of the bilateral treaties that member states have negotiated with the USA.
In 2002 the European Court of Justice ruled that national treaties are illegal under EU law.
UK transport secretary Alistair Darling told the UK parliamentary transport committee "there is a growing acceptance that the EU should be allowed to open up negotiations with the USA on transatlantic traffic". The department's director general of civil aviation, Roy Griffins, believes there is a "better than 50:50 chance that there will be an agreement" at the meeting.
Source: Flight International
