2023/2145(DEC) | [ParlTrack]

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the finding of the Court of Auditors that the accounts of the European Aviation Safety Agency ('the Agency') for the 2022 financial year are legal and regular in all material respects despite certain identified shortcomings and vulnerabilities in public procurement practices; acknowledges weaknesses in the systems governing management and control and as of the conclusion of 2022, a number of observations raised by the Court in preceding years continue to remain unresolved;

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Commends the response of the Agency to Russian invasion to Ukraine publishing a Conflict Zone Information Bulletin (CZIB) within two hours for aircraft safety. and preventing aircraft flying over or into the areas with intense or heightened military activity; Understands concerns about Russian passenger fleets; highlights Agency’s role in European military mobility;

Amendment 11 #

Kateřina KONEČNÁ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Welcomes the contribution of the Agency in shaping standardized rules for drones' safe integration and its effort in supporting U-Space regulations and contributing to the EU's Drones Strategy 2.0, fostering a competitive and sustainable European drone industry.

Amendment 13 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Salutes the focus of the agency to integrate Ukraine as a Candidate State into the EU system;

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 b (new)

10 b. Stresses that Russian military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 further impacted EASA’s International Cooperation activities; highlights that as an EU Agency, EASA complied with the sanctions and policies set by the European Commission; consequently, all cooperation activities with the Russian Federation were suspended;

Amendment 15 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 c (new)

10 c. Calls for close relationship with European State and Military Aviation Authorities, and the European Defence Agency (EDA), OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation) and NATO, as appropriate for the discharge of the Agency’s tasks, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1139, to improve flight safety and security in Europe;

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 d (new)

10 d. Salutes EASA activities related secure aviation- military program, welcomes particularly EASA becoming a participant of the Civil-Military Airspace Safety Team Ukraine to consider the consequences of the war in Ukraine on the “new normal” concept, with regard to the increasing needs for air space to conduct State and NATO military exercises; commends EASA’s implementation of the work programme with the European Defence Agency (EDA), enhancing the cooperation in the new domain of innovation; welcomes that EASA supported EC initiatives in the framework of RescEU program (fire fighters’ contract and aeronautical MEDEVAC/transport capacity);

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Notes that appropriations authorised in the Agency’s budget for 2022 totalled EUR 224 million and welcomes the budget implementation rate for year 2022 at 97.1%, above the Commission’s target of 95%;

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Commends the Agency's proficiency in execution, maintaining a favourable trajectory with 77% of KPIs deemed on-track; acknowledges that 17% of KPIs have experienced delays, and a 5% necessitate additional attention;

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Salutes digital transformation of the European skies, including enhanced mobility options and streamlined qualifications for Air Traffic Controllers, licencing and training and ATM Ground Systems; calls for the amendment of SERA RT phraseologies for communication between pilots and air traffic controllers;

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Highlights the importance of Single European Sky tackling the fragmentation of European airspace and aiming at improving ATM performance from the safety, capacity, cost-efficiency and environmental perspectives; welcomes in this regard the agency’s work related to its SES 2+ reform in two pillars in 2022 - human factors and ground equipment (harmonisation ATCOs through licencing and getting to a more effective and efficient system) and the certification by EASA of ATM/ANS ground systems ( harmonizasiotion of those system is very welcomed as currently ground systems vary significantly between Member States; commends that both pillars reduce cost and increase capacity for ATM, and therefore provide significant added value for the Single European Sky 2+ package of initiative;

Amendment 6 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7 b. Stresses that digital transformation of the European skies comprises several individual components and building blocks that are critical solutions for Europe’s future airspace architecture and aim to support safety, efficiency, and environmental performance;

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Welcomes the EASA Sustainable Aviation Programme (2020 - 2024) for achieving a quieter and more sustainable aviation system, including Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) project; calls on providing sufficient funding and incentives for further research and development of SAF to make them more efficient and affordable and to enhance and open their market;

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8 a. Salutes the progress made in 2022 regarding a wide variety of environment- related initiatives; welcomes the EASA Sustainable Aviation Programme, aligned with the ReFuelEU Aviation legislation, which foresees a central role for the Agency in the monitoring and reporting on the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) and in the development of an EU SAF Clearing House; welcomes that EASA is engaging in 20 new projects in an enhanced cooperation with the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking, while partnerships with European Industrial Alliances have been forged to enable the entry into service of hydrogen- and electric powered aircraft;

Amendment 9 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Commends the response of the Agency to Russian invasion to Ukraine publishing a Conflict Zone Information Bulletin (CZIB) within two hours for aircraft safety. Understands concerns about Russian passenger fleets; highlights Agency’s role in European military mobility; in particular, welcomes the involvement of the Agency in the Civil- Military Airspace Safety Team Ukraine, especially in relation to the increasing demands for airspace to facilitate State and NATO military exercises; acknowledges the successful implementation of the work programme with the European Defence Agency (EDA), which has significantly bolstered collaboration in the emerging frontier of innovation.

source: 754.996

2024/02/12 CONT 8 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Welcomes that the Agency has established a number of partnerships with other Union bodies to improve efficiency and coherence, including the European Environment Agency, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking, the SESAR3 Joint Undertaking; welcomes the cooperation on learning solutions with several agencies on issues of common interest in the fields of human resources advisory services, digitalisation and tools, e- learning and surveys, including the European Medicines Agency, the European Securities Market Authority, the European Food Safety Authority and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office;

Amendment 1 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Observes with concern the lack of gender balance within the Agency’s senior and middle management members, with 17 out of 22 (77 %) being men and within the Agency’s management board, with 59 out of 79 (75 %) being men; further notes the gender balance within the Agency’s overall staff, with 525 out of 757 (69 %) being men; takes note that the Agency is systematically monitoring the gender distribution among applicants and actively reaches out for female candidates, by publishing the positions in the right forums, explicitly encouraging applications from female candidates, and drafting positions with precise information as it may affect work-life balance; calls on the Agency to continue its efforts towards gender balance at management and overall staff level through concrete actions that attract applications from women for posts offered by the Agency; asks the Commission and the Member States to take into account the importance of ensuring gender balance when nominating their members to the Agency’s management board;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Welcomes that the Agency maintained focus on gender balance, geographical balance and diversity; recalls the importance to develop a long term HR policy on work-life balance and the offer of specific training possibilities for career development, teleworking, right to disconnect, the enhancement of a geographical balance to have an appropriate representation from all Member States, and the recruitment and integration of people with disabilities as well as the promotion of their equal treatment and their opportunities;

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)

26 a. Welcomes that the Agency has strategic partnerships on the sharing of resources and information with almost all of the national competent aviation authorities in its Member States;

Amendment 4 #