Chief EC aviation negotiator lands in Poland to seal the deal on open skies

Chief European Commission (EC) aviation negotiator, Frederick Sorensen, came to Poland to reach an agreement concerning full liberalization of air transport between Poland, European Union (EU) and other countries-candidates. According to Rzeczpospolita daily, both sides came to an agreement as far as the date of full liberalization of aviation services is concerned - November 1, 2004. From that moment every carrier from the EU will have the right to provide air transport services between Poland and European cities and within our country. Polish carriers will obtain the same privileges in the EU. However, it is difficult to work out solutions concerning the situation before the date of full liberalization. EU negotiators could now soften their stance, as representatives of the European Airlines Association (ATA) announced yesterday, that they are ready to guarantee Polish Airlines LOT 35% of flights between Poland and EU countries, more than the European Commission proposed before. (Rzeczpospolita, p.B2) A.D.