PURPOSE : to conclude, on behalf of the European Union, an agreement amending the Agreement between the United States of America and the European Community on cooperation in the regulation of civil aviation safety.
PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.
ROLEOF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only with Parliament’s approval.
BACKGROUND: the Agreement between the United States of America and the European Community on cooperation in the regulation of civil aviation safety entered into force on 1 May 2011.
The purpose of the Agreement is to ensure the continuation of the high level of cooperation and harmonisation between the United States and the European Union in the fields within the scope of the Agreement.
The initial scope of the Agreement, covers: (i) airworthiness approvals and monitoring of civil aeronautical products; (ii) environmental testing and approvals of civil aeronautical products; and (iii) approvals and monitoring of maintenance facilities.
In the course of the implementation of the Agreement, notably through discussions in the Bilateral Oversight Board established under the Agreement, the United States' Federal Aviation Administration ('the FAA') and the Commission have found that there is a mutual desire to enhance the possibilities for further aviation safety cooperation beyond the current provisions of the Agreement, as a priority in the pilot licensing and training field.
On 25 September 2014, the Council authorised the Commission to negotiate an amendment to the Agreement, so as to provide for additional areas of cooperation. The agreement amending the Agreement was signed on behalf of the Union and should now be approved.
CONTENT: the Commission requests that the Council approve, on behalf of the EU, the Amendment 1 to the Agreement between the United States of America and the European Community on cooperation in the regulation of civil aviation safety. The Amendment 1 to the Agreement extends the areas of cooperation between the Parties, where reciprocal acceptance of approvals and findings of compliance can apply, so as to allow for an optimised resource utilisation and commensurate cost savings while maintaining a high degree of safety in air transport.
Following Amendment No 1 of the Agreement, the cooperation envisaged between the Parties now covers the following areas:
With regards to the scope of application of the Agreement, the Parties will:
Until entry into force of Amendment No 1, the Parties agree to apply the Agreement provisionally from the date of its signature.