No Common Ground Following EU Offer
Following a two-day ministerial (a
meeting of ministers from different nations) on air transport in
Ethiopia, Africa's transport authorities failed to reach a common
position on an offer from the European Union (EU) to develop and
implement one reciprocal agreement for the skies above both
continents.
The ministerial was the third conference since African countries
passed the 1999 "Yamoussoukro Declaration," which opened their
skies to each other and was endorsed by heads of state the
following year.
At issue is the implementation of a reciprocal agreement that
would allow EU and African airlines into each others' skies.
The EU's proposal in 2003, "Community Clause," calls for the
replacement of bilateral air service agreements signed by
individual African countries with a multilateral arrangement signed
by the African Union (AU) as a bloc; EU member country carriers
could fly to African airports from multiple EU destinations and not
be limited by bilateral agreements.
"The African aviation market is fragmented, characterized by
small and weak airlines," said Tewodros Tamrat, director of
Corporate and Industry Affairs at the African Airlines
Association.
According to South Africa's Fly South, the African aviation
industry generates about 470,000 direct and indirect jobs across
the country, contributing over $11.3 billion dollars to African
Gross Domestic Product. The airlines contribute about $7.5 billion,
airports just over $2 billion and aerospace just over $1.5
billion.
According to the International
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), in 2005 the number of air
passengers traveling in the continent was 38 million, with an
estimated growth rate of 6.9 percent.
However, said Tamrat, the airline industry in Africa faces
serious challenges.
"Unless these airlines consolidate and create a bigger market,
they will not be able to effectively compete with the bigger
carriers and survive as an industry," he warned.
A legal document, "Guidelines for Negotiations" was recently
prepared with the goal of creating this market.
Developed by the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) and the
African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), "Guidelines for
negotiation," was presented to the AU for adoption at the beginning
of 2007.
It advised African governments to demand reciprocal acceptance
by EU member countries; thus bilateral arrangements would be
amended accordingly. The 10-page document also confirms the EU's
position that African countries should stop subsiding national
airlines.
Not all ministers representing their countries approved of the
document, however.
Some felt their national airlines were not ready to navigate a
multilateral arrangement, while others determined that their
interest is best served with traditional bilateral agreements. Some
also suggested that a possible deal with the EU should not be made
mandatory.
Unable to agree to adopt the guideline, the conference agreed to
form a committee responsible for the reconciliation of the
different views and develop a proposal that each country can
accept.
"We hope that the committee will speed up its work and come up
with a proposal as soon as possible that will help us move
forward," said Tamrat.