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Mr Goudou meets the President of the European Parliament

© European Parliament
Mr Goudou met the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pottering in Brussels on 15 April 2009. Topics discussed during this institutional visit were the Agency's growth and extension of responsibilities. Mr Pottering confirmed his appreciation of the work of the Agency and promised he would support its further development.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION: List of airlines banned within the EU

European Strategic Safety Initiative (ESSI) strengthened

International Air Transport Association (IATA) signs pledge of commitment at the European Aviation Safety Agency's headquarters in Cologne

ECAST pledge signed by IATA Senior Vice-President Gunther Matschnigg
and EASA Executive Director Patrick Goudou on 27 June 2008.

Cologne, 27.06.08. The European Commercial Aviation Safety Team (ECAST) achieved an important step forward, when IATA underlined its commitment to aviation safety by signing the pledge of ECAST members. ECAST is part of the European Strategic Safety Initiative (ESSI) launched by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) as a ten year programme to continuously enhance aviation safety in Europe.

"Organisations signing the pledge underline their willingness to maintain and enhance a high level of aviation safety in European through joint cooperation. The Agency strongly welcomes IATA's commitment to ECAST and hopes that other participating organisations will follow its example", says Patrick Goudou, EASA's Executive Director.

The first component of the European Strategic Safety Initiative (ESSI), ECAST is a voluntary partnership between EASA, non-governmental organisations, intergovernmental bodies and regulators, including national aviation authorities, and operators, research organisations, as well as aircraft and equipment manufacturers aiming at enhancing commercial aviation safety in Europe and worldwide. The group is currently elaborating guidance material for European industry to support the implementation of Safety Management Systems (SMS).

For further information, visit easa.europa.eu/essi.

Launch of "Pool of Experts"

On 17 April representatives of eleven National Aviation Authorities (NAAs) met at the Agency for the official launch of the "Pool of Experts".

The creation of the Pool of Experts is based on an initiative of the EASA/NAAs Certification Transition Working Group (ENACT) aiming at a more efficient usage of the expertise available within EASA and NAAs for performing the various European and national certification tasks.

The main purpose of the Pool of Experts is to provide assistance to NAAs where required, undertaking tasks relating to national projects for which the NAAs continue to have responsibility. Tasks performed by NAAs on behalf of EASA are not conducted through the Pool of Experts. These tasks are handled by separate individual EASA/NAA framework contracts.

Over a period of approximately one year the Pool of Experts Working Group, composed of representatives of NAAs and EASA, has established the legal, contractual, administrative and financial prerequisites for a commonly agreed, transparent and fast mutual support among NAAs in the area of product certification.

Meanwhile the NAAs of Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom have declared their will to cooperate in the Pool of Experts and nine of them have already signed the formal declaration of membership.

The photo shows the participants of the launch-meeting on 17 April and the symbolic handover of a signed declaration of membership between the chairmen of the Pool of Experts Working Group Marnix van der Heijde (CAA-NL) and Frank Steffens (EASA/NAA Relationships Section).