The European Union on Thursday proposed a rule that would
create a complaint process for airlines that believe they have been harmed by
anticompetitive practices of non-EU carriers.
The process could provide an avenue of complaint for
Lufthansa and Air France-KLM, both of which have long accused Gulf carriers
Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways of accepting illegal state subsidies. The
three Gulf airlines deny those charges.
Under the proposed rule, European carriers could submit a
complaint about anti-competitive practices to the EU for review. If the
complaint were to be found valid, the EU would be empowered to take corrective
measures, including levying fines against the offending carrier. Measures that
violate open-skies agreements between the EU and the offending airline's home
country wouldn't be allowed.
The EU proposal drew praise in the U.S. from the Partnership
for Open & Fair Skies, a lobbying group comprised of airline industry
unions and United, American and Delta, which also accuse the Gulf carriers of
accepting illegal state subsidies.
"We respectfully ask the Trump administration to join
the growing global consensus that action is needed to level the playing field
against the Gulf carriers' expansion scheme," partnership spokeswoman Jill
Zuckman said in prepared remarks.
To be implemented, the EU proposal must be adopted by the
European Parliament and approved by the council of EU member states.