Final

Report of the SC/CT Special Air Services Meeting of 28 March 2000
to the Steering Committee on More Competitive Transportation

The SC/CT special air services meeting agreed and recommended that:

1. The Transportation Working Group is an appropriate forum for implementing the eight recommendations for more competitive air services, and identifying further steps to liberalize air services in accordance with the Auckland Leaders' Declaration:

2. In accordance with the Declaration, the TPT WG will:

• Review implementation of each of the eight recommendations for more competitive air services, taking account of the benefits and difficulties of implementation; and

• Pursue further steps to liberalize air services on a voluntary basis, one option raised for consideration being the exploration of plurilateral arrangements by like-minded APEC Economies, and another being the widening of the eight recommendations for more competitive air services.

3. The review of each recommendation be coordinated by a single Economy (see attached list)

• although this would not preclude joint leadership or any other means of cooperation between Economies; and

• each Economy may invite its academic institutions, airlines and industry sectors to participate in the development of position papers.

4. The review of the eight recommendations and the pursuit of further steps to liberalize air services be based on the following principles:

• that any outcome of air services liberalization is in accordance with the Bogor goals;

• that progress toward liberalisation of international air services is inclusive and transparent; and

• that consideration be given at TPT-WG 18 as to whether APEC might co-operate with other multilateral fora or regional associations on liberalizing air services.

5. With respect to the review of the eight recommendations, each Economy be invited to make a submission to the coordinating Economy for each recommendation which includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• the experience of each Economy in implementing each recommendation;

• benefits and difficulties of the implementation of the eight recommendations;

• identification of further steps to liberalize air services, including factors which have emerged from the "think pieces" prepared by some Economies and distributed at TPT-WG 17; and

• development of additional "think pieces".

6. All papers submitted to each coordinating Economy will be made available to all other APEC Economies.

7. Requests for submissions will be made by the coordinating Economy to all other Economies by 14 April 2000.

8. Responses to the request will be provided to the coordinating Economy by 28 July 2000.

9. Coordinating Economies will provide input by 1 September 2000 to assist Australia in preparation of an overview paper to TPT-WG 18, for circulation by 15 September 2000.

10. Each coordinating economy will circulate for TPT-WG 18 a synopsis of submissions it has received by 15 September 2000, and any like-minded economies that wish to explore plurilateral arrangements will report by the same time to TPT-WG 18 on their progress.

11. TPT-WG 18 will decide on next steps in light of consideration of the overview paper, the synopses of the eight recommendations, any additional "think pieces" and reports on further steps to liberalize air services.

12. Following TPT-WG 18, the Lead Shepherd will present these synopses and reports on further steps to liberalize as an assessment to SOM on progress toward implementing the air services elements of the Auckland Leaders' Declaration.

This page was last updated on 12 March, 2008