OBAMA and the future of US/EU Open Skies (second stage)?

[KC135777]

Now that Obama is US President-elect, any guesses/predictions how the second stage (US/EU Open Skies-Article 21) will proceed?
increased foreign investment in US based airlines?
cabatoge?
KC135777
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U.S.-EU Air Transport Agreement

ARTICLE 21
Second Stage Negotiations
1 . The Parties share the goal of continuing to open access to markets and to maximise benefits for consumers, airlines, labor, and communities on both sides of the Atlantic, including the facilitation of investment so as to better reflect the realities of a global aviation industry, the strengthening of the transatlantic air transportation system, and the establishment of a framework that will encourage other countries to open their own air services markets . The Parties shall begin negotiations not later than 60 days after the date of provisional application of this Agreement, with the goal of developing the next stage expeditiously .
2 . To that end, the agenda for the second stage negotiations shall include the following items of priority interest to one or both Parties :
(a) further liberalization of traffic rights ;
(b) additional foreign investment opportunities ;

[el #]

Hi KC,

To me, that seems a matter that a smart President leaves to somebody else to decide.

[hunterboy]

He is also elected to serve the interests of Americans not Europeans, asians, Africans, etc.
Hopefully, our EU politicians will remember this...though i doubt it.

[tornadoken]

Republicans opposed "increased foreign investment" in US carriers on "security" grounds. Democrats are likely to oppose same on "jobs" grounds. Given the parlous yields to equity in the US airline business, any approach from an EU source must be viewed in US as an asset-stripping raid. Fag end cabotage, same: predatory pricing (say, on to Las Vegas from a Transatlantic to Chicago; PanAm used to do just this on its Round the World, say, LHR-FRA). I don't know who is making the Euro running on this. What we really want is removal of the blatent Protectionism of US-only carriers for Federally-funded journeys. Embassy staff fly neither best, nor cheapest, but flag.

[PPRuNe Pop]

Too early for threads like this.