ANAHEIM, Calif. — Starting this week, federal travelers can fly on most European-based airlines for flights between the U.S. and the 27 member countries of the European Union, or between two foreign destinations.

The new travel rule takes effect Wednesday and reflects the recently approved European Union-U.S. Open Skies Agreement, which allows U.S. and European airlines greater access to each other’s markets.

Open Skies, which took effect March 30, allows European Union and American airlines to fly between any destinations in the EU and U.S.

“The only exceptions are for routes where a CityPair [discount fare] exists, or for transportation funded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense,” said Cy Greenidge, with the General Services Administration’s Office of Travel, Transportation and Asset Management. “[Otherwise], EU airlines can freely transport passengers on flights funded by the government.”

Those flights had been restricted in the past under the Fly America Act, which still applies to travel on non-EU carriers.

Another proposed change to federal travel rules would increase restrictions on premium-class travel. The regulation is a response to a Government Accountability Office report released late last year that found rampant abuse of premium-class travel authorizations.

“The GAO report wasn’t particularly flattering,” Greenidge said April 22 at the GSA Expo. “There can’t be any more carte blanche, blanket approval of premium-class travel.”

GSA’s proposed changes, which will be published in the Federal Register within a few weeks, would require agencies to report all premium-class travel. Agencies will also have to designate an individual to approve premium-class travel on a case-by-case basis.

Also, with oil approaching $120 per barrel and gas prices expected to keep rising, GSA is hoping to expedite its annual review of the federal mileage reimbursement rate. The agency didn’t change the reimbursement for government travelers until March this year, nearly three months after the Internal Revenue Service changed the rate for other business travelers.

Greenidge acknowledged that the delay was frustrating for federal travelers and said the agency hoped to speed up the process.

The agency hopes to submit a bill, the General Services Enhancement Act, that would permanently link GSA’s rate to the IRS rate.

Another set of federal travel rules changes would affect employees relocating for work. GSA will propose regulations that reduce the amount of time employees have to file relocation expenses — from a maximum of four to two years — and encourage agencies to provide comprehensive home-sale assistance to employees.

The agency also has drafted legislation to make administrative changes to the relocation program to require agencies to designate a senior official in charge of relocation and better account for spending.

“We have a responsibility to the citizens to be able to explain what we’re spending,” said Henry Maury, who works on relocation policy for GSA. “And we can’t do that right now.”

GSA also plans to publish minor changes to federal travel rules that encourage federal managers to hold and attend “green” meetings, and clarify the difference between temporary duty and “local travel.” Temporary duty travel is regulated by federal travel rules, while local travel is regulated by each individual agency.

Agencies set their own definition of “local travel,” which sometimes leads to confusion for travelers.