Vol. 576 No. 2
187 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Transport if he is negotiating to retain the 50:50 status between Shannon and Dublin Airports on transatlantic routes in the context of EU-US negotiations on open skies; the status of these negotiations; his views on whether such a position is not at variance with EU competition rules; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29373/03]
As I stated in previous replies to the House on this matter, formal detailed negotiations took place between the EU and the USA in early October 2003 in Washington. A second round of negotiations will take place in Brussels on 9, 10 and 11 December 2003. During these negotiations, a special committee made up of all member states will assist the Commission. Ireland is represented on this committee by a senior official from my Department. It is unclear how long these negotiations will take.
In dealing with the issue of the dual gateway status of Shannon Airport, I must also take account of wider considerations, especially the opportunities for new business for Ireland currently not being exploited due to the limitation on the number of US destinations open to Irish airlines because of that dual gateway policy.
The recent report of the tourism policy review group to the Minister of Arts, Sport and Tourism recommends that my Department should immediately renegotiate the Ireland-US international air agreement in advance of an EU-US agreement to remove the current US gateways restriction.
As I said previously, change in this area is inevitable. Officials are currently holding consultations, on my behalf, with the trade unions representing airport staff, and I will shortly consult the new board designate of Shannon Airport. I have also recently spoken to interest groups from the Shannon region. When these consultations are concluded, I will decide on the next steps.
Any bilateral negotiations between my officials and the US would be conducted following notification of our intentions to the European Commission, and the Commission may decide to participate in those discussions. This is expressly provided for in the package of measures on external relations in aviation agreed at the Transport Council on 5 June 2003. That involvement of the European Commission is to ensure that any negotiations carried out by Ireland are not in conflict with the Commission's position regarding its negotiations with the USA on the open aviation area agreement, particularly in view of the fact that negotiations between the EU and the USA have already begun. The outcome of such negotiations must also be notified to the Commission, and would be the subject of scrutiny under a comitology procedure. In view of this close involvement of the European Commission, I am confident that the negotiations between Ireland and the USA, and their outcome, would not be at variance with any EU rules.
