Precisely. The
Mail reports that Grayling's move attempts to circumvent the European Commission.
Needless to say, this isn't going to happen (27 separate aviation deals). The technical details are complex, stemming from the 2002 ECJ judgement on European air transport policy,
discussed here , but with the emergence of an
EU external aviation policy, the Commission has
established its presence in the policy field.
What this means is that Member States are no longer free agents when it comes to negotiating aviation agreements with third countries. The Commission has a right to be involved and, in certain areas – such as aviation safety – it has exclusive competence. Effectively, without the willing cooperation of the Commission, there can be no deals.