Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 173: To ask the Minister for Transport if he is proposing to include for the joint committee under Article 17 of the US-EU Air Transport Agreement a periodic review of the way in which the new open skies regime will affect Shannon Airport following the ending of the dual gateway policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8621/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The overall purpose of the joint committee is, at least once a year, to conduct consultations relating to the EU-US Air Transport Agreement, and to review its implementation. Any party to the agreement may also call a meeting of the joint committee to discuss questions relating to the interpretation or application of the agreement.

One of the fundamental purposes of the EU-US agreement is to grant open traffic rights across the Atlantic to all EU and US airlines to every point in each other's territory, to include Ireland from April 2008 after the transitional period. There is no question of this fundamental principle of open skies being open for amendment by the joint committee.