Proposal for a Council Decision on the signature, on behalf of the European Union, and provisional application of a Common Aviation Area Agreement between the European Union and its Member States and Ukraine

The Common Aviation Area Agreement between the European Union and its Member States and Ukraine has been negotiated by the Commission as authorised by the Council in December 2006.

The air services market between the EU and Ukraine is significant.

Traffic by air involves more that 4 million passengers (source Eurostat 2012), growing at an average yearly rate of 17% over the past 10 years. Aviation services for cargo are also on the increase, registering a double growth over the same period. It is also worth noting that traffic between the EU and the Ukraine averaged almost 43% of the Ukraine's total international traffic during the last 4 years.

Air services between the EU and Ukraine operate at present on the basis of bilateral agreements between individual Member States and Ukraine. It is part of the EU's external aviation policy to negotiate comprehensive air services agreements with neighbouring countries, where the added value and economic benefits of such agreements have been demonstrated. The Agreement aims in particular at:

- gradual market opening in terms of access to routes and capacity on a reciprocal basis;
- ensuring regulatory convergence and effective compliance by Ukraine with EU aviation related legislation; and
- non-discrimination and level playing field for economic operators.