The European Union (EU) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have signed a new Annex to their Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) to establish a strong partnership in supporting technical cooperation projects globally. ICAO and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the EU’s technical arm on aviation safety and environmental protection, pledged to reinforce their collaboration in jointly assisting civil aviation actors from countries across the five continents with “capacity building, technical assistance, and implementation support”. The signing of the Annex reaffirms the close ties between the two entities, benefiting civil aviation worldwide in the spirit of “no country left behind”.
This new fourth Annex to the MoC will enable exchange of information on the respective international cooperation and assistance programmes run by ICAO and the EU, to identify synergies and opportunities to work together on site, e.g. by participating in common technical projects. Promotion of regional cooperation supported by the ICAO Regional Offices and the EU-funded activity Teams is another focus of the Annex. The international organisations will coordinate their action through working arrangements and regular dialogue at both political and technical expert levels. Concertation will also be sought in the provision of training activities and products. EASA is currently managing 15 projects all over the world and will play a significant role in the implementation of the Annex.
Background
The MoC, which was signed in 2011 by ICAO and the European Commission, representing the EU, created “a framework for closer cooperation in the fields of safety, security, air traffic management and environment’’. ICAO and the EU have ever since been increasing their efforts towards this direction; the new Annex represents a key milestone in this path in the field of aviation safety. The MoC also includes the shared commitment to accomplish the ICAO Strategic Objectives worldwide, to ensure global compliance with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs).
