newstodate.aero
Sep 11, 2006 (newstodate): EU and Russia are still wide apart on central issues concerning commercial use of the Russian airspace over Siberia.
Hopes that the meeting this weekend in the Permanent Partnership Council Transport between EU Commissioner Barrot and the Russian Transport Minister Levitinon would advance a solution did not materialise.
Once again the parties confirmed that the current Russian taxation of commercial Siberian flights will have gone by 2013 - but they stil do not agree on a roadmap conprising deadlines for gradually phasing-out the exhorbitant taxes levied by the Russian government that uses the revenue to subsidise Aeroflot.
Estimates are that Russia collects some USD300 mio annually from western airlines operatingh transpolar routes over Siberia.
EU has threatened tomake the issue a prerequisite for Russia's edmission into the WTO.
Next chance for a political solution may be the Summit in November this year marking the end of the Finnish EU chairmanship, to be succeeded from Janmuary 1, 2007, by Germany.
Hopes that the meeting this weekend in the Permanent Partnership Council Transport between EU Commissioner Barrot and the Russian Transport Minister Levitinon would advance a solution did not materialise.
Once again the parties confirmed that the current Russian taxation of commercial Siberian flights will have gone by 2013 - but they stil do not agree on a roadmap conprising deadlines for gradually phasing-out the exhorbitant taxes levied by the Russian government that uses the revenue to subsidise Aeroflot.
Estimates are that Russia collects some USD300 mio annually from western airlines operatingh transpolar routes over Siberia.
EU has threatened tomake the issue a prerequisite for Russia's edmission into the WTO.
Next chance for a political solution may be the Summit in November this year marking the end of the Finnish EU chairmanship, to be succeeded from Janmuary 1, 2007, by Germany.