Ansamed

(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, NOVEMBER 15 - A small step has been taken in Strasburg today towards the creation of a future single airspace for the Euro-Mediterranean region. The Euro-Parliament has approved the accord sealed last year between the EU and Jordan by the European Commission, and it should now be accepted by the twenty-seven member states. After Morocco, the first country in the region to obtain this kind of understanding with the EU, the European market is now free to integrate itself with that of the Hashemite kingdom.

There are various objectives: the gradual opening of markets on the base of reciprocal agreements concerning routes and capacities, but also guarantees of equitable conditions for all operators on the basis of the principles of EU treaties. There will also be an alignment of standards in such matters as air transport safety, production of air navigation and traffic control. On a formal level, the EU-Jordan accord substitutes the group of bilateral accords between the two parties and introduces uniform conditions for airlines of the 27 member states. European operators can now offer their services from any point within the EU and Jordan. According to estimates in the studies commissioned by the EU Commission, the air-transport sector accord with Jordan should lead to an increase of around 50,000 passengers and to savings for consumers amounting to around 30 million euros over the first year of the market's actual liberalisation. The 2006 accord with Morocco has led to a boom in international and low-cost flights over the years.

(ANSAmed).