Today the European Association of Ukrainians picketed the European Commission building in Brussels, demanding to permit small Ukrainian airlines to fly to Germany.
According to an UNIAN correspondent, the picketers were holding Ukrainian flags and the following posters: “The Germany’s discriminatory ban hampers the relations of EU and Ukraine”, “Allow DniproAvia to fly to Germany”, “Why does Germany forbid Ukrainian airlines to fly?”
European Association of Ukrainians’ secretary Serhiy Mykhaylov disclosed to UNIAN that the action was organized to support the inquiry of Ukrainian lawmakers to the European Parliament concerning the ban to small Ukrainian airlines to fulfill flights to Germany.
“The lawmakers turned to the European Parliament to solve the problem. We are here to settle the airline clash and to support the inquiry”, he said.
The inquiry was made by Members of the Ukrainian Parliament Serhiy Chukmasov (SPU), Yevhen Zimin (BYuT), and Dmytro Sviatash (Party of Regions).
European Association of Ukrainians chief Mykhaylo Kuzmin disclosed that the association plans to send a special address to the European Commission, protesting against the discrimination of Ukrainian airlines, and the EU will have to answer to the address within 20 days.
An UNIAN correspondent got to know that the address would be sent to the European Commission in a form of a registered letter.
Deputy chief of the European Association of Ukrainians Olekiy Tolkachov disclosed to UNIAN that the Association expects to get support from the European Parliament in settling the conflict.
“We expect the European Parliament to set up a joint commission, which will investigate into the situation and settle the conflict. We hope they will adopt either a note of protest or an address, calling on German authorities to refuse from this discrimination”, he said.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the conflict escalated in March 2005, when small Ukrainian airlines were forbidden to fly to Germany.
