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EU member aviation agreements illegal

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  • 05-11-2002 1:11pm
    #1
    Occidental
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,315 ✭✭✭


    The European Court of Justice has ruled that aviation agreements between EU countries and the US are illegal under EU law. This clears the way for an EU-US agreement covering all member states. It will in time and much to the convenience of our government, mark the death of the Shannon stopover.


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    #2
    bonkey
    Registered Users Posts: 15,443 ✭✭✭✭bonkey


    Originally posted by Occidental
    It will in time and much to the convenience of our government, mark the death of the Shannon stopover.

    Im not sure how.

    The Shannon stopover is not a deal brokered with any external company. It is a legal requirement that any airline entering or leaving Ireland on a transatlantic flight must stop at Shannon. This is not an agreement with anyone. It is an internal law. not an agreement with US companies or the US state. It applies to Aer Lingus as equally as any other EU, US, or other airline whp wants to fly the route.

    Having said that, the government do want to get rid of the compulsary Shannon stopover, and Im sure the airlines wont complain if they do....so I can see the gov not putting up much of a fight to preserve this if the EU alleges that it is covered.

    At the end of the day, though, I think the stopover should go. If Shannon is unable to be competetive, then thats its problem. If the traffic is there, then the planes will stop. If the traffic isnt there, I fail to see the benefit in forcing them to go there.

    Yes, jobs are at stake, but I often wonder whether the continuous investment outweighs the costs of the jobs being preserved, or even if the jobs should be so artificially preserved.

    jc


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    #3
    Typedef
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,564 ✭✭✭Typedef


    http://www.eurunion.org/news/press/1998-1/pr16-98.htm
    "By unilaterally granting US carriers traffic rights to, from and within the EU while ensuring exclusively for their own air carriers the right to fly from their territory to the United States, these member states create serious discrimination and distortions of competition, thereby rendering EU rules ineffective."

    Hmm on the face of it, that seems reasonable. From another point of view, what is the point of having access to each others markets if a country is not prepaired to exploit that access? It would be better for all the countries to compete against each other rather then for the EU to impose barriers to make 'fairness' throughout the EU.

    This notion of equilibrium imposed onto industry for some etheral, vaunted 'good of the Union' seems contrary to some of the most basic tennents of capitalism and all of the countries of the EU are supposed to be capitalist, that is essentially the only point I would make on this issue.


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    #4
    Occidental
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,315 ✭✭✭Occidental


    Originally posted by bonkey

    The Shannon stopover is not a deal brokered with any external company. It is a legal requirement that any airline entering or leaving Ireland on a transatlantic flight must stop at Shannon.

    Europe is looking for an Open Skies agreement with the US. The Shannon stopover would be a restriction to an Open Skies agreement and would not be entertained by the US. Therefore the Shannon stopover will be binned by the EU. This also suits the Irish Government as Aer Lingus would have been unable to operate to new US destinations without the stopover being dropped (ie the bilateral being renegotiated).


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