ASEAN, EU sign world’s first bloc-to-bloc air transport agreement
Jakarta (VNA) - The ASEAN, European Union
(EU) and their member states signed the Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement (ASEAN-EU
CATA) at the 28th ASEAN Transport Ministers’ Meeting in Bali,
Indonesia on October 17.
The ASEAN-EU CATA is the world’s first bloc-to-bloc
air transport agreement and reflects the latest policy thinking in air
transport regulation. Negotiations on the agreement commenced in 2016 and
concluded on June 2, 2021.
Budi Karya Sumadi, Minister of Transportation of
Indonesia, said the signing of the agreement will create more harmonious
synergies to accelerate economic recovery, especially air connectivity between
ASEAN and Europe, and will re-invigorate the global economy, in particular in
the ASEAN and EU regions.
Adina Vălean, the European Commissioner for
Transport, said the signing of the first-ever region-to-region air transport
agreement between the EU and ASEAN brings bilateral aviation partnership to a
new level. The agreement will help to support the aviation sector’s recovery
post-COVID-19, and restore much-needed connectivity between the two regions, to
the benefit of some 1.1 billion people.
ASEAN-EU CATA also provides a foundation for closer
cooperation between ASEAN and the EU in areas such as aviation safety, air
traffic management, consumer protection, and environmental and social matters./.