The European Union is close to striking air traffic agreements with Qatar and a group of countries in southeast Asia, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Negotiations on the two deals are "on the home stretch" and could come into effect in 2019, the people said.

As part of the deals, Qatar and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) would agree to ensure their airlines conform to environmental, worker safety and competition standards, and would in exchange be guaranteed that they would be given the same rights as their competitors.