Air Transport Portal of the European Commission

European Civil Aviation Handbook

A policy built on 3 key pillars

A Common Aviation Area with the EU’s neighbours

ECAA

Study "The European Common Aviation Area and the Western Balkans: Domestic Reforms and Regional Integration in Air Transport"

In December 2004, the Council of Ministers authorised the European Commission to start negotiations with eight South-East European partners (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro and the U.N. Mission in Kosovo) on a “European Common Aviation Area” (ECAA) agreement.

 Information note on ECAA

The objective was to integrate the EU’s neighbours in South-East Europe in the EU's internal aviation market which consists of 25 EU Member States as well as Norway and Iceland.

The negotiations were opened on 31 March 2005 with a multilateral high-level meeting, at which all negotiating parties expressed support for reaching an ECAA Agreement as quickly as possible. After only nine months of negotiations, the text of the ECAA agreement was agreed between all parties in December 2005 ( ECAA Agreement).

The eight South-East European partners agreed to the full application of the European Community’s aviation law (Community acquis). Once ECAA partners fully implement the EC’s aviation acquis, ECAA airlines will have open access to the enlarged European single market in aviation. The ECAA agreement will therefore create new market opportunities due to an integrated aviation market of 35 countries and more than 500 million people. At the same time, the agreement will lead to equally high standards in term of safety and security across Europe, through the uniform application of rules.

Highlights:

2nd ECAA Joint Committee - 14 December 2007, Zagreb

Press release: Positive effects of Balkans Partners' integration into European Common Aviation Area

Pictures of the signature ceremony (9/06/2006):

Click on the picture to enlarge

Presidency - Gorbach, J. Barrot
Albania	Bosna I Hercegovina	Bulgaria	Croatia
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia	Island	Montenegro
Norway	Romania	Serbia
Tiefensee	Unmik

9 June 2006:

Press release: EU & South East Europe: first steps towards an extended Single Aviation Market

5 May 2006:

Press release: South East Europe flying towards the EU: first steps taken for extending the Single Aviation Market

20 December 2005:

Press release: Single market for aviation to be extended to South East Europe