Cooperation in civil aviation research and development with the US

The Council authorised today1 the signing and provisional application of a memorandum
of cooperation with the US (6458/11 + 6454/11), aimed at promoting civil aviation
research and development activities and ensuring interoperability between the next
generation of European and American air traffic management (ATM) programmes. The
memorandum is to be signed by the EU and the US on the sidelines of a conference on the
Single European Sky in Budapest on 3 March.

The memorandum creates a general legally binding framework, with rules on issues such
as governance, intellectual property rights, reciprocity and liability, to be complemented by
addenda on specific issues. The first addendum, which is part of the memorandum to be
signed, concerns cooperation between EU and US government bodies and industry in the
development of the European ATM programme SESAR and its American counterpart
NextGen, so as to secure interoperability of the future programmes. Such cooperation is
not only in the interest of air traffic safety worldwide, but will also increase market
opportunities for EU industry and help reduce costs by avoiding duplication of equipment
on board aircrafts.

The SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) programme is the technological pillar
of the “Single European Sky” policy. Its objective is to thoroughly modernise and
harmonise the existing air traffic management systems in Europe. SESAR has now entered
its development phase and its first results are expected to be deployed in 2013.

The memorandum of cooperation is the result of negotiations led by the Commission on
the basis of a mandate granted by the Council in October 2009. It will replace the existing
memorandum of understanding, signed in 2006 and updated in 2009, which does not
provide the required legally binding framework.