EC launches infringement procedures over Russian agreements

European Commission announced (06-Apr-2011) it has launched infringement procedures against two EU Member States, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, over agreements with Russia on equal treatment of EU airlines and Siberian overflights. The Commission stated it "is concerned that the agreements may hinder equal treatment of EU airlines and competition between European airlines and provide the basis for Siberian overflight charges that may be illegal under EU anti-trust rules". Letters of formal notice have already been sent to 23 other Member States in recent months. The Commission maintains that forcing EU airlines to pay to operate over Siberia makes air transport more expensive and distorts competition between EU and non-EU airlines. [more]