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The recent EU-US so called open skies negotiations were a key part of ECA's efforts in the EU External Relations field. Although this seems a little peripheral to our normal work, it is very important in the fields of safety oversight, security requirements and jobs. Air services agreements are the product of negotiations which determine which airlines can fly on which international routes. ECA has concerns that the current move towards economic liberalisation is not being accompanied by appropriate levels of regulatory protection from flags of convenience and social dumping. In the EU-US negotiations, ECA was able to secure access to the Joint Committee which will oversee the agreement (if it is ever ratified!), references to the social and employment effects of the changes and we supported efforts to work towards common or equivalent requirements for security and safety provisions either side of the Atlantic. In all such negotiations we seek to provide for fair and reciprocal access to the markets, full and effective safety oversight and protection from social dumping.