EU gives permission on aviation

BRUSSELS - Anatolia News Agency

European Union member countries authorized the European Commission to sign a civil aviation agreement with Turkey that would further strengthen EU-Turkey aviation relations and encourage traffic between the EU and Turkey.

The horizontal aviation agreement, which was initiated in March 2010, is expected to be penned later this year. The agreement does not replace the bilateral agreements in place between 26 EU member states and Turkey, but it adapts them to bring them into line with EU law. The agreement constitutes a major step in fulfilling the criteria for the opening of a policy chapter in Turkey’s accession talks on transportation. The agreement does not hinder Turkey’s rejection to open ports and airspace to Greek Cypriot vessels and aircrafts, and it allows Turkish air carriers to claim wider access to the European market. However, France reacted to this development as it gave permission to the EU Commission in order to not sign the agreement and released a unilateral declaration citing the EU council’s calls to Turkey to open its airspace to Greek Cyprus.