EU/Korea Agreement: air services

PURPOSE: to sign, on behalf of the European Union, the Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Korea on certain aspects of air services.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

BACKGROUND: on 5 June 2003, the Council authorised the Commission to open negotiations with third countries on the replacement of certain provisions in existing bilateral agreements with an agreement at Union level.

The Commission negotiated, on behalf of the Union, an Agreement with the Republic of Korea on certain aspects of air services. The negotiations were successfully concluded by the initialling of the Agreement on 12 November 2008.  Subsequently, the Council adopted on 31 March 2009 a Decision on the signing of the Agreement but due to reluctance by the Republic of Korea the Agreement has not yet been signed. In 2018, however, the Republic of Korea expressed a new interest in signing and concluding the Agreement.

Following the successful conclusion of the negotiations on the Agreement, it should be signed on behalf of the European Union subject to its conclusion at a later date. This proposal contains a decision to this effect.

CONTENT: the purpose of the proposal for a Council Decision is to approve, on behalf of the Union, the signing of the Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Korea on certain aspects of air services, subject to its conclusion.

The purpose of the Agreement is to bring the existing bilateral air services agreements between the Member States and the Republic of Korea into conformity with EU law.

For more details on the content of the agreement, please refer to the summary of the initial legislative proposal for the conclusion of the agreement dated 21.2.2019.