newstodate.aero
Jun 18, 2012 (newstodate): The issue of Russia's charging of fees for foreign carriers' use of its trans-Siberian air lanes on routes between Europe and Asia remains hot stuff and a bargaining chip.
The Scandinavian negotiation team meeting with Russia in May 2012 to discuss a modernization of the existing air services agreement from 1956 brought up the issue - but to no avail.
The Russian side refused to include the issue in the talks in retaliation for the introduction from the start of this year of the ETS, driven by the environmentalist Danish EU commissar Connie Hedegaard.
A long-delayed solution to the Siberian overflights issue was actually found in talks between EU and Russia in November 2006 when the parties agreed on a modernization of the system, meaning the abolition of excessive charges collected by Aeroflot on behalf of the Russian state.
But Russia is now not willing to implement the agreement despite the fact that this has been made a precondition for the country's much coveted admission into the WTO.
The Scandinavian negotiation team meeting with Russia in May 2012 to discuss a modernization of the existing air services agreement from 1956 brought up the issue - but to no avail.
The Russian side refused to include the issue in the talks in retaliation for the introduction from the start of this year of the ETS, driven by the environmentalist Danish EU commissar Connie Hedegaard.
A long-delayed solution to the Siberian overflights issue was actually found in talks between EU and Russia in November 2006 when the parties agreed on a modernization of the system, meaning the abolition of excessive charges collected by Aeroflot on behalf of the Russian state.
But Russia is now not willing to implement the agreement despite the fact that this has been made a precondition for the country's much coveted admission into the WTO.