Proposal for a Council Decision on the conclusion of the Agreement providing a general framework for enhanced cooperation between the European Union and the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation

On 6 October 2011, the Council granted a mandate to the Commission authorising it to open negotiations with the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) in order to conclude a cooperation agreement between the European Union (EU) and Eurocontrol. The Agreement should acknowledge the principles of the Single European Sky (SES), notably the role of the EU as the single regulator for air traffic management (ATM) and the use of the technical expertise of Eurocontrol to help the EU to deliver ATM improvements in Europe in accordance with the SES legal frame work and to support the EU in the implementation and development of the SES and other related policies (environment, climate change and research). The Agreement should also facilitate further institutional reform of Eurocontrol, for example, in establishing a new relationship between Eurocontrol and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and provide a framework for potentially sensitive issues such as pan-European civil-military cooperation. Based on the negotiating directives of the mandate, a draft Agreement was initialled by the two parties on 24 April 2012.

The proposed draft Agreement defines the terms and conditions of enhanced cooperation between the EU and Eurocontrol to support the EU in the implementation and development of ATM in accordance with the SES legal framework and related EU policies. The objectives are: to contribute to timely and consistent implementation of the SES within the EU and with States that agree to be bound by the SES; to facilitate the necessary civil-military cooperation on ATM in the SES and the use of Eurocontrol expertise in these areas; to facilitate the involvement of non-EU Member States in the SES. In addition, the draft Agreement aims to ensure synergies and avoid duplication of EASA’s work in safety-related ATM matters and environmental issues and to consider Euro control’s pan-European dimension.

The proposed draft Agreement lists the areas of cooperation concerning the implementation of SES, SESAR and other related EU policies that will be defined further in separate annexes to the Agreement.

The proposed draft Agreement defines the forms and mechanisms of cooperation and coordination between the parties including the stakeholder consultation processes. A Joint Committee set up by the Agreement will be responsible for its management and functioning. In addition, the funding of the activities is defined in accordance with the rules applicable to the parties’ respective budgets.

The Commission proposes to the Council to adopt:
- a decision authorising signature of the Agreement and its provisional application before entry into force;

- once this first decision has been adopted, a further decision to conclude the Agreement with a view to its entry into force based on the consent of the European Parliament.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Proposal for a Council Decision on the signing, on behalf of the Union, and provisional application of the Agreement providing a general framework for enhanced cooperation between the European Union and the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation http://www.europeansources.info/record/proposal-for-a-council-decision-on-the-signing-on-behalf-of-the-union-and-provisional-application-of-the-agreement-providing-a-general-framework-for-enhanced-cooperation-between-the-european-union-a/

EUR-Lex: COM(2012)439: Follow the progress of this document through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2012:439:FIN

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