Alexandria - The 63rd session of the Executive Bureau of the Arab Transport Ministers Council kicked off on Tuesday at The Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT) headquarters in Abu Qir.

The Minister of Transport of the Arab Republic of Egypt, General Kamel Al Waziri, chaired the meeting where two topics were discussed. The first was related to the European Union Law No. 2004/868, as amended by the Law No. 2019/712. Dr. Kamal Hassan praised the Assistant Secretary-General for the joint efforts under the umbrella of the Arab League and the efforts of all concerned parties, including the Arab Civil Aviation Organization to address this law.

Mr. Khaled Antar, the air transport expert at the Organization, explained the efforts of the latter to coordinate with all parties to address this law, which resulted in the amendment of Law 868 after taking into account all the observations of the Arab countries, which were presented by the Arab Civil Aviation Organization. The executive board issued the following recommendation:

1. To commend the joint Arab efforts that led to the final version of the European law containing 712 articles and safeguards that mitigate the possible conflicts with non-European countries whenever the law is implemented or misused by some parties to reduce the competitiveness of non-European airlines, including Arab companies.
2. Assigning the Arab Civil Aviation Organization in coordination with the Arab Air Carriers Organization to reaffirm to the European Commission when implementing Law 2019/712 the importance of adhering to the following principles:

a. Respect the principles of international law, in particular the principle of the sovereignty of the State over its airspace, the rights of air transport granted to third parties and the air transport activities in its countries.

b. The right of States to establish their own air transport laws corresponding to the economic and social environment of their States;

c.Decisions taken within the framework of the law should aim at strengthening relations with non-European countries and prioritizing consumer´s interest.

d. Not to use the law to put pressure on discussions related to air transport agreements between countries on a bilateral basis or within a comprehensive framework with the EU.

e. Prioritize resorting to dialogue, negotiation and consultation between the parties to resolve any air transport issue prior to the use of the new law.

The second topic discussed during the Executive Office´s work relates to the Arab conventions in the field of transport and the reasons for not activating them, including air transport agreements.

The Board issued a recommendation, including:

1. The State of Kuwait, will submit a commendable study on the reasons for the non-activation of these agreements.
2. The State of Kuwait shall provide a unified mechanism on how to activate these agreements.

The 32nd session of the Arab Transport Ministers Council will be held on Wednesday 13 November 2019