On 17 May 2019, the European Commission published two evaluations on EU legislation on aviation safety. The first evaluation concerns Regulation (EC) No 2111/2005 on the establishment of a Community list of air carriers subject to an operating ban within the Community (EU Air Safety List Regulation), while the second one regards Regulation (EU) No 996/2010 on the investigation and prevention of accidents and incidents in civil aviation. 

The evaluation on the EU Air Safety List Regulation showed that it contributed to enhancing aviation safety globally, keeping unsafe airlines outside of the EU airspace and informing passengers about safety status of their operating air carrier. Moreover, the Commission found that the costs incurred in relation to the implementation of the Regulation are largely outweighed by the benefits it brings. The Regulation is also coherent with other European Union legislation and instruments, notably with the Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft Programme (SAFA Programme) and the Third Country Operator (TCO) authorisation system of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The interaction between those instruments could however be fine-tuned, in particular to avoid duplication and better exploit synergies. 

With regard to the Regulation on the investigation and prevention of accidents and incidents in civil aviation, the evaluation showed that, from its entry into force, there have been considerable improvements in the quality of investigation in Europe. In particular, the close cooperation between the safety investigation authorities (SIAs) in the framework of the European Network of Civil Aviation Safety Investigation Authorities (ENCASIA) has allowed most Member States to better handle investigations of aircraft accidents and incidents. However, some shortcomings persisted, such as the lack of sufficient resources, especially for smaller SIAs, and the inconsistent use of confidential information collected during an investigation in various domestic court proceedings. 

The evaluation of the EU Air Safety List Regulation is available at the following LINK, while the evaluation of the Regulation on the investigation and prevention of accidents and incidents in civil aviation is available at the following LINK.

Sara Capruzzi