The European Commission is confident of signing its first mutual recognition of aircraft certification data deal with Canada, aiming to pave the way for an eventual global aircraft standard.
Roberto Salvarani, new EC head of aircraft safety unit within the transport and energy directorate general, says talks between the EC's airworthiness body, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Transport Canada on reciprocal acceptance of certification findings, are sufficiently advanced for him to predict a formal signing by mid-2005. "We have to wait for a new Canadian transport minister to sign off the agreement, so we will work on the fine detail in March," he says. Talks started in November, and detail the data Transport Canada and EASA will exchange. Similar talks between EASA and the US Federal Aviation Administration began last month, but are expected to take longer, possibly until the end of 2005, Salvarani says. A similar agreement could be reached with Brazil, he adds.
The agreements will be coupled with a new programme to give EC funds to nations with underdeveloped airworthiness bodies, in an attempt to bring them up to international standards. Central America, China and South Asia have been identified as areas in most need of financial assistance to upgrade facilities, train inspectors and improve engineering support.
EASA's forerunner, the European Joint Aviation Authorities, already had agreements with many territories guaranteeing mutual recognition of certification data. EASA assumed it would inherit these deals. However, the FAA led efforts to requalify EASA's processes, especially since the work could be carried out by non-approved nations within the EU. The FAA is understood to have concerns about how strong the central EASA organisation will be on monitoring individual member states' standards.
Source: Flight International
