France and Germany call for EU to act to ensure 'fair competition with the airlines of the Gulf'

France's Secretary of State for Transport, Maritime and Fisheries Alain Vidalies and Germany's Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure Alexander Dobrindt called (13-Mar-2015) for the European Commission to "act" in order to restore "fair competition with the airlines of the Gulf." The Ministers stated: "European airlines are losing market share against the Gulf companies, because of their unfair competitive practices, particularly because of the significant public subsidies and guarantees they enjoy." At a meeting of EU Transport ministers, Mr Vidalies and Mr Dobrindt called for the EU to "adopt a common strategy to put an end to these practices", and suggested "the extension of traffic rights given in Europe to foreign airlines should be accompanied by effective control of the mode of operation of these companies." Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden supported the initiative. [more - original PR - French]