News Deepens Cooperation between CAA and EASA

On June 20, 2016, the Director General of CAA, Mr Dritan Gjonbalaj, met with the Executive Director of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Mr Patrick Ky. The meeting was held at the EASA Headquarters in Cologne, Germany. The purpose of the meeting was to review the long standing request of the CAA on starting negotiation of technical agreements known as Working Arrangements between Kosovo CAA and EASA.

Mr Gjonbalaj informed Mr Ky about the developments in the field of aviation safety in Kosovo and the implementation of the EU legal framework in this area, an obligation of our country under the European Common Aviation Area (ECAA) Agreement. He also mentioned the advancement of relations between Kosovo and the EU, with particular emphasis on the entry into force of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), which is the first comprehensive contractual agreement between Kosovo and the EU and is the country’s first official step towards EU accession. Mr Gjonbalaj added that, while we were inclined to understand the reluctance of EASA to enter into contractual relations with the CAA in the past, we believe that the entry into force of the SAA constitutes a strong legal basis for all EU bodies to formalise cooperation with relevant Kosovo institutions, including the signing of the Working Arrangements between EASA and the CAA. Mr Ky thanked the CAA for the interest in signing the Working Arrangements with EASA and confirmed that now he sees no reason to delay the matter further. Signing of Working Arrangements with EASA is expected to happen next year, after a fact-finding inspection by EASA in Kosovo, for which the two parties are working on carrying out by the end of this year.

EASA is an EU specialized agency, with responsibilities in the field of civil aviation safety. The agency has so far been reluctant to enter into contractual arrangements with the CAA for political reasons, outside the scope and reach of the CAA or other institutions of the Republic of Kosovo. Signing of Working Arrangements will enable the CAA access to the European database of the safety of aircraft and will create the necessary legal framework for the inspection of CAA performance by EASA in all areas of aviation safety known as standardised inspections.

During the process of formalising relations with EASA, CAA has been continuously supported by the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ministry of European Integration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Parliamentary Committee for CEDITI (Committee for Economic Development, Infrastructure, Trade and Industry).

Mr. Ky and Mr Gjonbalaj at EASA