In June 2020, the European Commission signed two bilateral aviation agreements, respectively with Japan and the Republic of Korea, which mark key deliverables under the Aviation Strategy for Europe, designed to generate growth for European business, foster innovation and let passengers profit from safer, cleaner and cheaper flights.

The bilateral agreement on civil aviation safety (BASA), signed on 22 June 2020, will further boost the Union’s already strong cooperation with Japan and reinforce the competitiveness of the aviation industry, crucial in the recovery of the sector from the current crisis caused by Covid-19. The BASA aims at easing trade in aircraft and related products through the support to European manufacturers in order to increase their trade and market share in the Japanese market. More specifically, unnecessary duplications of evaluation and testing activities for aeronautical products will be removed, the time required for manufacturers of aeronautical products to achieve the approvals for exports to Japan will be reduced and, at the same time, a stronger level of legal certainty will be guaranteed. Furthermore, in line with the Union and Japan’s Economic Partnership Agreement, the BASA will also strengthen transport connectivity according to the Union’s Connecting Europe and Asia Strategy.

The Horizontal Aviation Agreement, signed on 25 June 2020, allows any European airline to fly to the Republic of Korea from each of the 22 Member States that have a bilateral air services agreement with country. Since, traditionally, these bilateral air services agreements provide that only airlines owned and controlled by a given Member State or its nationals may fly between that Member State and a third country, the conclusion of the Horizontal Agreement is therefore beneficial to airlines on both sides.

Pending the entry into force, only the agreement between the Union and Japan will be provisionally applied from signature.

Esmeralda Dedej