POLAND QUIETLY SUPPORTS US-EU OPEN SKIES AGREEMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L WARSAW 000610 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EB/TRA, EUR/ERA AND EUR/NCE EB/TRA/AN FOR TOM COLEMAN EUR/ERA FOR PEGGY WALKER EUR/NCE FOR BPUTNEY AND DKOSTELANCIK COMMERCE FOR 4232/ITA/MAC/EUR/OECA/MROGERS,JBURGESS,JKIMBA LL LONDON FOR FAA CHRIS BARKS USEU FOR KMORENSKI E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/12/2017 TAGS: ECON EAIR KTIA PREL EU PL SUBJECT: POLAND QUIETLY SUPPORTS US-EU OPEN SKIES AGREEMENT REF: A. SECSTATE 29781 ¶B. SECSTATE 28944 Classified By: Acting Econ Counselor Laura A Griesmer, reasons 1.5 b,d. ¶1. (C) Econoff delivered reftel demarche to Malgorzata Alberti, Head of the International Agreements Division of the Civil Aviation Office. Pawel Moniak, a specialist in the International Agreements Division, and the Polish representative during the most recent negotiations in Brussels was also present. Alberti assured Econoff that the Civil Aviation Office (CAO) would recommend that the Minister of Transport support the agreement at the EU Transport Council meeting March 22. Alberti stressed that the CAO has the lead on this issue and was certain the Minister would give his political support to the agreement. Alberti explained that it is up to the MFA as to how the agreement will be approved internally. The most likely scenario, like all bilateral agreements, will be with simple approval of the Cabinet of Ministers, which will not require approval of the parliament. ¶2. (C) Our interlocutors believed that the UK may be the only member state to have any problems with the agreement. They noted that Spain and Ireland are likely to apply public pressure on the UK to approve the agreement as they have the most to gain. Although Poland's support of the agreement is certain, the GOP is not willing to make any public statement about its support until after political approval is given at the EU meeting on March 22. Poland does not see itself as gaining significantly from this agreement, since it is already "in a privileged position" having an existing Open Skies agreement. ¶3. (C) The demarche was also given to Anna Krukowska in the International Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Transport; Izabella Szymajda, Director of Corporate Affairs at LOT Polish Airlines; Pawel Herczynski, Director of the European Union Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and the Mariusz Handzlik, the President's Foreign Policy Advisor. None had an immediate response. ¶4. (SBU) PAS is attempting to place the op-ed from ref B, any results will be reported septel. ASHE