US Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta has vowed to try to agree a 'historic' air traffic deal with the EU this year.
Speaking at the European Parliament in Brussels, Mineta said the latest session of talks last week on the so-called 'open skies' accord had made progress, and expressed hopes for the next talks in May in Washington.
'I really want to get this completed this year,' he told the AFP news agency, noting that EU transport commissioner Loyola de Palacio's term of office ends in October.
According to officials, last week's talks between the US and the European Commission - which is negotiating on behalf of EU member states - remained blocked in particular on issues of access to the US for European carriers.
'European airlines would remain completely excluded from the US domestic market while US carriers enjoy the right to fly between most EU destinations today,' said an EU spokesman at the time. A US spokesman confirmed that 'access to US domestic market is the most challenging issue.'
The EU Commission was mandated last year to negotiate a single EU deal with Washington.
Under current practice, the US has separate bilateral arrangements with 11 of the EU's 15 current member states, and four of the 10 countries due to join on May 1, Mineta said.
