Single European Sky: organisation and use of the airspace

PURPOSE : to establish a Community airspace as a single operating airspace where common procedures for design, planning and management ensure the efficient and safe performance of air traffic management. LEGISLATIVE ACT : Regulation 551/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the organisation and use of the airspace in the single European sky ("the airspace Regulation"). CONTENT : the Council adopted, by written procedure, the package of four Regulations aimed at creating a "Single European Sky" in accordance with the joint text agreed by the Conciliation Committee, introducing common rules on the use of airspace throughout the Community in order to reduce air delays and airspace congestion. The "Single European Sky" package contains a framework Regulation and three implementing Regulations covering air navigation service provision, organisation and use of airspace and interoperability within the European air transport management network. These legislative proposals aims, in particular, at improving and reinforcing safety, and at restructuring airspace as a function of traffic flow rather than according to national boundaries. The airspace Regulation concerns the organisation and the use of airspace in the Single European Sky. On this basis, the division level between upper and lower airspace is set at flight level 285. In a first stage, it will be established the European Upper Flight Information Region (EUIR). That will imply co-operation between the Commission and the Member States in a process towards a progressive harmonisation of airspace classification. In this context: - in order to achieve maximum capacity and efficiency of the air traffic management network, the upper airspace will be reconfigured into functional airspace blocks. The establishment and modification of functional airspace blocks will be competence of Member States concerned, however, they should benefit from the technical advice of Eurocontrol. If there are difficulties for reaching an agreement between Member States with regard to a cross-border functional airspace block, they can bring the matter for an opinion to the Single Sky Committee. Concerning the lower Flight Information Region, the text provides for a report from the Commission by 31 December 2006. On the basis of progress made, the Commission shall submit at the latest by 31 December 2006 a report to the European Parliament and to the Council accompanied, if appropriate, by a proposal to extend the application of these concepts to lower airspace, or to determine any other steps. In the event of such an extension being envisaged, the relevant decisions should preferably be taken before 31 December 2009. ENTRY INTO FORCE : 01/04/2004.�