Instrument for Pre-Accession – IPA 6

The project in a nutshell

The Instrument for Pre-Accession – IPA 6 project aims to encourage alignment with EU aviation safety framework through the support of ECCAIRS2 implementation, the standardisation visits in the beneficiary countries, and to facilitate NAA capacity increase.

Since its first inception back in 2015, the aim is to create a European Common Aviation Area based on free market access, freedom of establishment, equal conditions of competition and common rules including in the areas of safety, security, air traffic management, social aspects, and environment. Once fully implemented, the agreement will effectively integrate the Western Balkan partners in the EU internal aviation market.

Background information

On 1 December 2017, the European Common Aviation Area (ECAA) Agreement between the EU, its Member States, the Kingdom of Norway, Iceland, and the Western Balkan partners (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia) entered into force.

The aim of the agreement is to create a European Common Aviation Area based on free market access, freedom of establishment, equal conditions of competition and common rules including in the areas of safety, security, air traffic management, social aspects, and environment. Once fully implemented, the agreement will effectively integrate the Western Balkan partners in the EU internal aviation market.

Throughout the last decade, ECAA Agreement signatories from the Western Balkans as well as Türkiye were supported through five IPA projects (IPA 1 to 5) managed by EASA.

The competent aviation authorities of the Western Balkan partners (except Kosovo) and Türkiye have working arrangements with EASA in place since 2009. These working arrangements cover regulatory cooperation across all aviation safety domains, including technical assistance, continuous monitoring activities (and EASA standardisation inspections) and the collection and exchange of information on the safety of aircraft in the context of the EU Ramp Inspection Programme. These arrangements facilitate the understanding, transposition, and implementation of EU acquis.

The Instrument of Pre-Accession 6 Project (IPA 6) is funded by the European Union and implemented by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The project is focused on aviation safety matters, and it will prioritise activities focusing on providing support in terms of:

• Safety management (reporting system and data analysis)
• Facilitating EASA standardisation inspections/visits as per EASA’s planning and prioritising, and
• Limited support in increasing capacity for safety oversight.

Objectives

The overall objective of the project is to support alignment with EU aviation safety framework.

The specific objectives of the project are to support ECCAIRS2 implementation and standardisation in the beneficiary countries, and to facilitate NAA capacity increase.

Context

The DG-NEAR (the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations) has tasked EASA through a new Contribution Agreement to set-up aviation partnership projects to strengthen cooperation with the Western Balkans partner countries. The overall programme budget for IPA 6 is €904,000.

Project activities