The first stage of the Open Skies agreement between the European Union and the United States was signed April 25, 2007 in Brussels and on April 30 in Washington. It was a landmark agreement in many aspects for both sides, removing significant restrictions on pricing, capacity and frequencies. For the first time, European airlines could fly without limitations from any point in the EU to any point in the U.S., and beyond. U.S. airlines received the same liberal rights to operate to the bloc. POLITICO brought together the two chief negotiators of this important deal in an exclusive podcast. Cathy Buyck, senior transport reporter, spoke to Daniel Calleja, who led the negotiations for the EU as director for air transport at DG Move, and John Byerly, former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and chief negotiator for the open skies pact for the U.S. Calleja is now director-general of the European Commission’s DG Environment and Byerly is an independent consultant, advising airlines such as Norwegian Air Shuttle.