The first draft of the treaty defining the new constitutional European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) will be presented to a special committee of the 15 European Union (EU) member states this month, according to Joint Aviation Authorities secretary general Klaus Koplin.
The document, which had been expected in November last year, will eventually become the cornerstone of an EU agency with full legal power to issue and enforce aviation regulations throughout the Union and eventually in the 35 members states of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC).
The paper is the starting point for debate, Koplin emphasises, even though it bears the title of draft treaty. For the last two years there has been a working party drawing up terms of reference for EASA's formation, and last June the European Commission's transport directorate (DG VII) published the negotiating mandate. Since then, work on the draft treaty has been in progress.
The estimated time to full legal and operational status has always been five years (from 1998), says Koplin, and he confirms that it is unlikely to be achieved earlier. Drawing up a treaty which can be ratified by all the nations involved will be "difficult", says Koplin, confirming that there are no EU or ECAC member states which are against the EASA in principle.
Source: Flight International
