Belgrade, 4 December 2025 — ECAC Directors General of Civil Aviation gathered in Belgrade for their 165th meeting (DGCA/165) this month, generously hosted by the Civil Aviation Directorate of the Republic of Serbia.
The event brought together more than 70 delegates, including Directors General and representatives from 33 ECAC Member States, European members of the ICAO Council, and representatives from EUROCONTROL, EASA, European Commission and JAA TO.
Set against the beautiful backdrop of Belgrade, the meeting provided a valuable platform for in-depth exchanges on key civil aviation topics, including:
- A safety briefing on air accident and incident investigations, highlighting the work of the ECAC Group of Experts on Accident and Incident Investigation, chaired by Crispin Orr (United Kingdom), the contribution of investigations to safety improvements, and the vital importance of investigating serious incidents.
- The handover of the EU Council presidency from Denmark to Cyprus, with reflections on lessons learnt and priority areas for 2026, including transport safety, security, environment and intermodality.
- Key outcomes and lessons from the 42nd ICAO Assembly, as well as preparations for the upcoming 7th ICAO Air Transport Conference in November 2026. Participants recognised the effectiveness of European coordination in setting priorities and in successfully achieving the intended objectives.
Directors General also reviewed progress on ECAC activities in 2025 and discussed priorities across all domains, including the launch of new capacity-building work on facilitation and the adoption of principles and measures to guide the evolution of the ECAC Common Evaluation Process (CEP) for security equipment.
Our sincere thanks to Mirjana Čizmarov and the entire team at the Civil Aviation Directorate of the Republic of Serbia for their warm hospitality and excellent organisation. We are equally grateful to all the participants for their constructive engagement and valuable contributions throughout the meeting.