European Commission: Aviation: EU concludes negotiations with Tunisia for a new aviation agreement
11-Dec-2017 The European Union today concluded negotiations with Tunisia for a far reaching aviation agreement. It will improve market access for airlines and provide better connectivity, more choice as well as lower fares for travellers. This new agreement is expected to bring an additional 800,000 passengers over a 5 year period. More flights also mean more jobs and more wealth for all partners. It is estimated that the agreement could generate 2.7% GDP growth from travel and tourism, and increase annual traffic by up to 13% per year.
Speaking in Tunis, Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc said, "Today we are not only delivering on the EU's aviation strategy, we are also taking our relations with Tunisia to new heights. This far reaching aviation agreement will improve market access, and contribute to the highest safety, security and environmental standards. This is great news for tourism, passengers and businesses!"
Besides market access, these agreements will establish a common regulatory framework, for instance in the fields of aviation safety and security. This agreement was negotiated by the European Commission as part of its Aviation Strategy for Europe, a milestone initiative to give a new boost to European aviation and provide new business opportunities.
Next steps
After the initialling of the agreement, both parties agreed to move to signature as soon as possible and following their respective internal procedures.