Interoperability of the European air traffic management network
Differences between national technical specifications used for tenders has led to fragmentation of the market and systems and make industrial cooperation at Community level more difficult. European industry is particularly affected, as considerable efforts have to be made to adapt products to national markets.
ACT
Regulation (EC) No 552/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 March 2004 on the interoperability of the European Air Traffic Management network.
SUMMARY
The Regulation forms part of a package of legislation on air traffic management aimed at the creation of a Single European Sky as from 31 December 2004. This objective will enable optimum use to be made of European airspace, which will help to reduce delays and boost growth in air transport.
The aim of this Regulation is to define common requirements to guarantee interoperability between the various air traffic management systems used. It establishes a harmonised system of certification for components and systems.
The aim of the Regulation is two-fold:
- to achieve interoperability between the different systems, constituents and associated procedures in the European air traffic management network;
- to ensure the introduction of new agreed and validated concepts of operations and technology in air traffic management.
Essential requirements
The European air traffic management network, its systems and their constituents must meet essential requirements. These are of two kinds:
- general requirements: seamless operation, support for new concepts of operation, safety, civil/military coordination, environmental constraints, principles governing the logical architecture of systems and principles governing the construction of systems;
- specific requirements: systems and procedures for airspace management, systems and procedures for air traffic flow management, systems and procedures for air traffic services, communications systems and procedures for ground-to-ground, air-to-ground and air-to-air communications, navigation procedures, surveillance systems and procedures, systems and procedures for aeronautical information services and for the use of meteorological information.
Implementing rules for interoperability
The implementing rules for interoperability must in particular:
- determine any specific requirements, in particular in terms of safety;
- describe, where appropriate, any specific requirements, in particular regarding the coordinated introduction of new concepts of operation;
- describe the specific conformity assessment procedures involving notified bodies to be used to assess the conformity or suitability for use of constituents, as well as for the verification of systems;
- specify the conditions of implementation including, where appropriate, the date by which all relevant stakeholders are required to comply with them.
Community specifications
These specification may be:
- European standards for systems or constituents, together with the relevant procedures, drawn up by the European standardisation bodies; or
- specifications drawn up by Eurocontrol on matters of operational coordination between air navigation service providers.
EC declaration of conformity or suitability for use of components
Constituents must be accompanied by an EU declaration of conformity or suitability for use. Before a system is put into service, the relevant air navigation service provider must establish an EC declaration of verification, confirming compliance, and must submit it to the national supervisory authority together with a technical file.
Safeguards
Where the national supervisory authority ascertains that a constituent or a system accompanied by an EC declaration of conformity/verification does not comply with the essential requirements for interoperability, it must restrict the application of the constituent or prohibit its use. The Member State concerned must immediately inform the Commission of any such measures, indicating the reasons for it.
Where the Commission establishes that the measures taken by the supervisory authority are not justified, it will request the Member State concerned to ensure that they are withdrawn without delay.
Transitional arrangements
Starting from 20 October 2005, the essential requirements will apply to the putting into service of systems and constituents of the European air traffic management network.
Compliance with the essential requirements will be required for all systems and constituents of the European air traffic management network currently in operation by 20 April 2011.
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REFERENCES
| Act | Entry into force | Deadline for transposition in the Member States | Official Journal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regulation (EC) No 552/2004 [adoption: co-decision COD/2001/0237] |
20.4.2004 |
- |
OJ L 96 of 31.3.2004 |
RELATED ACTS
Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 June 2008 amending Regulations (EC) No 549/2004, (EC) No 550/2004, (EC) No 551/2004 and (EC) No 552/2004 in order to improve the performance and sustainability of the European aviation system [COM(2008) 388 final – Not published in the Official Journal].
This Proposal simplifies the certification procedures applying to air service providers which provide for the issue of EC declarations of conformity, suitability for use or verification.
Codecision procedure: (COD/2008/0127)
Commission Regulation (EC) No 29/2009 of 16 January 2009 laying down requirements on data link services for the single European sky [OJ L 13 of 17.1.2009].
In view of increasing air traffic levels, air traffic control capacity should be increased. The new provisions are aimed at the coordinated introduction of data link services between aircraft pilots and ground communication organisations. They concern the processing of flight data, airborne human-machine interface constituents and air-ground communication systems.
The Regulation shall apply to flights operating above FL 285 (Annex I Part A) and will be extended from 5 February 2015 to flights operating above FL 285 (Annex II Part B).
Communication from the Commission of 20 December 2007 “First Report on the implementation of the Single Sky Legislation: achievements and the way forward” [COM(2007) 845 final – Not yet published in the Official Journal].
Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament of 1 December 1999 “The creation of the Single European Sky” [COM(1999) 614 final – Not yet published in the Official Journal].
Regulation (EC) No549/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 March 2004 laying down the framework for the creation of the Single European Sky (the framework Regulation) [Official Journal L 96 of 31.3.2004].
Regulation (EC) No550/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 March 2004 on the provision of air navigation services in the Single European Sky [Official Journal L 96 of 31.3.2004].
Regulation (EC) No 551/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 March 2004 on the organisation and use of the airspace in the Single European Sky [Official Journal L 96 of 31.3.2004].