The Council of the European Union has authorized the European Commission to open negotiations with China and Japan in view of concluding Bilateral Air Safety Agreements (BASA) that will enhance air safety worldwide and will contribute to the global competitiveness of the European aviation industry by cutting red-tape and facilitating exports.

The European Union already concluded several BASAs with the United States, Canada and Brazil. These agreements are signed between the EU and third countries in order to enable cooperation in the aviation safety domain, including certification, testing and maintenance of aeronautical components, air traffic management and airports.

The opening of these negotiations is part of the “Aviation Strategy for Europe” adopted on 7 December 2015. EU Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc said that “… [t]he new Bilateral Air Safety Agreements we are pursuing will offer European companies new business opportunities in China and Japan, two key aeronautical nations. More trade means more growth and jobs in Europe, a priority of President Juncker. And yet these agreements are only one pillar of the ambitious external aviation policy we put forward as part of the new Strategy. In 2016, we will also seek to negotiate comprehensive aviation agreements with several key partners – including China – in order to improve Europe’s global connectivity …”.