The European Commission took another significant step towards creating a single European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on 27 September, when it approved the proposal for the formation of the body.
Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio says that the agency "will enable us to continue to guarantee our citizens a safety level among the highest in the world, while giving our industry the means to compete on an equal footing outside the European Union [EU]."
The EASA, which will start out as an agency for EU states only, awaits approval from the European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers. Expansion of membership will be open to any state that can make the necessary constitutional adjustments to allow them to accept EASA's authority, and those which cannot will be encouraged to implement European standards within their own law, which is the method for implementing European Joint Aviation Requirements.
A primary objective is that aeronautical products will need certification only by the EASA to be acceptable internationally, instead of undergoing recertification for other countries.
Mutual recognition for EASA certification will be sought in countries which retain their own aviation agency, as in the USA.
Source: Flight International
