Jacques Barrot, the incoming EC commissioner for transport, told the European Parliament's transport committee that he fully backed the need for Open Skies agreements
At the hearings of commissioners designate, M Barrot told the MEPs that he saw his transport priorities as increasing the competitiveness of the European transport sector as well as the defence of citizens' rights and privacy.
He added he also wanted to negotiate a “more favourable” Open Skies agreement with the United States.
His statement was welcomed by Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus, general secretary of the Association of European Airlines (AEA). “Further liberalisation of the whole air transport sector is essential for the growth of the European economy,” Mr Schulte-Strathaus said.
He called on the talks between the EU and America to resume as quickly as possible.
Mr Schulte-Strathaus also backed M Barrot's view that state governments should fund security measures in their own countries. “This is fully in line with the industry's position that anti-terrorist measures, whatever they are, aim to protect citizens in general and are a public responsibility.”
* AEA traffic figures for July and August showed a passenger growth figure of 10.2% and 6.2% respectively for each month.
Mr Schulte-Strathaus said the increase showed that full service airlines were responding to the marketplace and cutting fares ands costs.
But he warned: “The biggest financial impact this summer has come from skyrocketing fuel prices. Any prospect of a modest profit at an industry level in 2004 – which would be the first since 1998 – is rapidly diminishing.”
* Open skies and Europe's external relations in air transport are high on the agenda for the two day meeting, starting in Luxembourg on October 7, of the EC's Transport Council attended by member countries' transport ministers.