BRUSSELS, March 2 (UPI) -- The European Union said Friday it made "decisive progress" with Washington on opening trans-Atlantic airline routes.
"In the course of negotiations this week, European and American negotiators made decisive progress with a view to an open-skies agreement," EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot said.
Barrot said he would present a draft agreement based on the talks to the 27 EU nations March 22.
Washington withdrew an offer to lift a 25-percent limit on foreign ownership of U.S. airlines in December -- a decision U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said at the time was based on job and security fears.
The EU had made liberalizing foreign-ownership restrictions a condition for letting airlines from both regions fly where they want and charge what they want across the Atlantic.
An open-skies agreement could let more airlines fly trans-Atlantic routes, possibly leading to cheaper tickets.
