The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed a bill ratifying the agreement between Ukraine and the European Union on the Common Aviation Area on February 17, 2022. On Thursday, 311 deputies voted in favour of ratifying the accord.

The agreement's goal is to gradually establish a Common Aviation Area between Ukraine and the EU and its Member States, based on identical rules in the areas of flight safety, aviation security, air traffic management, environmental protection, consumer protection, computer reservation systems, and social aspects.

To that aim, the agreement includes binding regulations, technical specifications, administrative processes, fundamental operating standards, and implementation standards that must be followed by both parties. The Common Aviation Area works on the principle of unrestricted access to the air transportation industry and on competitive conditions. Ukraine is taking the necessary steps to incorporate the requirements and standards of European Union legislation into its legal system and to put them into practise.

The parties work together to achieve certification system convergence in the areas of primary certification and sustaining airworthiness, among other things. The Parties shall, upon request, provide each other with all necessary assistance to prevent acts of illegal seizure of civil aircraft and other illegal acts directed against the safety of such aircraft, their passengers and crew, airports and air navigation facilities, and any other threat to civil aviation safety.

Environmental protection is a priority for the Parties in the development and implementation of aviation policy. Ukraine and the European Union signed the Common Aviation Area Agreement on October 12, 2021, as reported earlier. The signing of the Common Aviation Area Agreement with Ukraine, as well as three other countries – Armenia, Tunisia, and Qatar – was authorised by the EU Council on June 28, 2021.

In 1999, the process of harmonising Ukraine's aviation space with that of the EU began. The EU Council approved the European Commission to begin necessary discussions with Ukraine on December 12, 2006. The parties agreed on the text of the Agreement in October 2013, however its signing was postponed indefinitely owing to foreign policy concerns.

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