Directors General review 2022 activities and future priorities at their end-of-year meeting
Paris, 7 December 2022 — Directors General of Civil Aviation gathered for their 159th meeting (DGCA/159) to analyse the main outcomes of the 41st ICAO Assembly, to discuss the preparations for the ICAO Council elections in 2025, to hear updates on recent European developments, and to review the status of implementation of ECAC’s activities in the current year and the work priorities for the next year in the following domains: external relations, safety and accident investigations, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), aviation security, environment (including capacity-building activities), facilitation, economic, legal, communication, and diversity in civil aviation.
ECAC President Alessio Quaranta presented ECAC’s activities on external relations, highlighting the outreach activities and relations with key international partners and sister regional organisations (ACAO, AFCAC, LACAC). The active involvement of observers (Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, Singapore, United States) in various ECAC groups, especially on aviation security matters, was also mentioned.
Zdeněk Jelínek (DGCA Czech Republic) provided an update on the main achievements of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union, focusing on activities related to aviation (e.g. ReFuelEU Aviation, CORSIA, EU emissions trading system (ETS) rules, work on a technical level on transport connectivity, and coordination during ICAO meetings), and Gunnar Ljungberg (DGCA Sweden) gave a presentation on the priorities for the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first semester of 2023
Jeremie Teahan (EASA) briefed Directors General on the latest air traffic management regulatory and development activities and the European Aviation Environmental Report (EAER) published by EASA every three years. He also briefly presented the Annual Safety Review 2022.
EUROCONTROL General Director, Eamonn Brennan gave an update on the performance of the Network, including traffic volumes in 2022 and previsions for the evolution of air traffic in 2023. He also announced that the solidarity funds to support Member States affected by the war in Ukraine had been approved, and the process for participation had been launched, with an establishment of funds effective on 15 December 2022.
The ECAC President thanked Mr Brennan for the continuous and valuable help and support offered to ECAC, and his commitment and determination to support European aviation no matter how many challenges were encountered along the way.
Directors General also expressed their appreciation and gratitude, and thanked Mr Brennan for his leadership, friendship and assistance provided to ECAC in the past years. They wished him the best in his future endeavours.