Croatia might ratify ECAA agreement in first half of 2008

Croatia might ratify the multilateral Agreement on the European Common Aviation Area (ECAA) in the first half of 2008, Assistant Minister of the Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development Damir Vince announced on Friday.

Vince was speaking to reporters at the second meeting of the Joint Council of the European Common Aviation Area which was taking place in Zagreb.

The ECAA Agreement was signed in Luxembourg on 9 June 2006 by all EU member states, as well as by Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Macedonia, Iceland, Norway, and the UN Mission in Kosovo.

The agreement will mean greater competition of foreign air carriers on the Croatian market and will make it possible for Croatian air carriers to compete on foreign markets.

Oliver Onidi, head of the European Commission's department for bilateral agreements on air transport, said that all Western Balkan countries took the agreement very seriously and that its positive effects could already be seen in the increasing number of flights, airports and travellers.

(Hina)