FLUG REVUE May 2005: EASA president Goudou outlines plans

May 2005

PATRICK GOUDOU

Executive Director of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)

FLUG REVUE: What milestones has EASA achieved since its foundation in July 2002?

Patrick Goudou: July 15, 2002 was really the starting point for EASA. I was appointed Executive Director on September 1, 2003. The other very significant date is September 28, 2003, because since that date we have been in charge of airworthiness for certain products and have been allowed to issue certificates of airworthiness and environmental compatibility. It was a very important day for us when we took over from the national authorities in this respect. Then there have been many other milestones in the life of the Agency, for example, the signing of the Cyprus Arrangements in November 2003, making EASA a member of the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA), and our move to Cologne on November 1 of last year.

FR: And what will be the next milestones?

Goudou: The introduction of our fee and charging system will enter into force before the summer, hopefully on 1 June. This will be one of EASA's pillars.

FR: How many employees does EASA have right now?

Goudou: About 100. We are expecting 200 temporary agents at the end of 2005 and we are expecting to have 328 people by the end of 2006.

FR: That number is not excessive when one considers the tasks the Agency has to perform.

Goudou: No, it isn't. But in Europe the system is based on the sharing of tasks between the national authorities and ourselves. So you can't compare EASA's size with that of the FAA.

FR: So EASA will not replace the national authorities?

Goudou: No. We've taken over some of their work of issuing airworthiness certificates, ordinary type certificates and type certificates for major changes on aircraft and so on, but they are still in charge as regards maintenance and production organisation approval, maintenance training, individual certificates and certificates of airworthiness for each individual aircraft.
And in the future, even if we take over flight crew licensing, they will deliver the licences.

FR: There has been some criticism of EASA's planned fees and charging system. Have you talked to people from industry in Europe? Some of them are saying that they will have to shed jobs in Europe if the charging system becomes operational as planned.

Goudou: The fees and charges issue was a controversial issue. We had many discussions with both national authorities and industry, and we have taken their comments and criticisms into consideration. I think we have now reached a balanced compromise, and we hope that this compromise which is being politically adopted will be accepted by industry. We made a big effort and we have tried to deal with every comment. But, of course, it's a sort of tax.

FR: How big is EASA's budget?
Goudou:
EASA's budget for 2005 is around Euro 57 million and we hope this will rise to Euro71 million for 2006, as our workforce expands.

FR: What is the status of cooperation with your American counterpart, the FAA? Several EASA-FAA harmonisation conferences have already been held.

Goudou: Cooperation between EASA and the FAA is very good. We have clear support from the Federal Aviation Administration and the process of harmonisation between us is still going on. We continue to hold these conferences. The next one, called the European-US Aviation Safety Conference, is due to be held in Cologne in June, and we are still discussing all the topics with the management of the FAA so that we can achieve a common understanding of each position.

FR: When will EASA get involved in flight crew licensing?

Goudou: The time frame is not up to us. We have given our opinion to the Commission. We are in charge of drafting the rules. That's integrated into the regulation. We issued our opinion on the key requirements for the flight crew licensing of commercial and other flight crews as well, just before Christmas. Now it's up to the Commission to issue its own opinion and state its intentions to the Council, so that it can discuss this regulation. We hope that those discussions will take place in the second half of this year and certainly in 2006, so my expectation is that we might be responsible for the regulation of flight crew licensing by 2007.

FR: Wouldn't it be only logical if EASA were to take over responsibility for air traffic control in Europe too?

Goudou: It makes sense. You probably heard the Commissioner say that. But we have no time frame. That is a goal for the Commission. Safety issues have to be tackled all together, safety can't be split into bits. ATC and airports are the next areas for us to get involved in after air operations and flight crew licensing.

FR: How do the employees of EASA find working in Cologne?

Goudou: We like it here in Cologne. The citizens of Cologne are very kind and we appreciate how welcome we are here in this beautiful city.

From page 19 of FLUG REVUE 5/2005

Last updated 14 April 2005

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