EU Signs Aviation Agreement with Japan

Photo source: European Commission

The European Commission and Japan on Monday signed an agreement on civil aviation safety, which is expected to further boost the European Union’s already strong cooperation with Japan and reinforce the competitiveness of the EU’s aviation industry.

“One and a half years after the EU and Japan’s Economic Partnership Agreement entered into force and the implementation of the Strategic Partnership Agreement started, today’s signature shows the mutual trust and commitment to deepen our strategic partnership,” the Commission said in an announcement.

Common rules will facilitate cooperation of European and Japanese companies and decrease the administrative burden for authorities, creating better opportunities for investment and strengthening economic prosperity and growth.

Photo source: @IrenaAndrassy

According to the Commission, the bilateral civil aviation safety agreement (BASA) will support EU manufacturers of aeronautical products to increase their trade and market share in the Japanese market. It will therefore play an important role in the recovery of the sector from the current crisis.

“We are also stepping up cooperation between the EU and Japanese aviation authorities, towards an even higher level of civil aviation safety and environmental compatibility,” Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said.

The main objective of the BASA is to ease trade in aircraft and related products. The BASA will remove unnecessary duplications of evaluation and testing activities for aeronautical products, decrease costs for authorities and the aviation industry and promote cooperation between the Civil Aviation Authorities of the EU and Japan.

The BASA will significantly reduce the time required for manufacturers of aeronautical products to achieve the approvals for exports to Japan. At the same time it will provide a stronger level of legal certainty, including on intellectual property rights (IPR) leading to greater cooperation between companies in the EU and in Japan.

Less than a year after the signature of the EU-Japan Partnership on Sustainable Connectivity and Quality Infrastructure, the BASA will also strengthen transport connectivity in line with the EU’s Connecting Europe and Asia Strategy.

“The BASA between the EU and Japan marks another key deliverable under the Commission’s Aviation Strategy for Europe – designed to generate growth for European business, foster innovation and let passengers profit from safer, cleaner and cheaper flights,” the Commission said.

Both the European Union and Japan will now proceed with their respective internal procedures to conclude the agreement. Pending its entry into force, the agreement will be provisionally applied from signature.