Brussels, 21/01/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 21 January, the executive director of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Patrick Ky, warned MEPs about the challenges budgetary constraints would create for the aviation authority. He said that the authority would be, “technologically at the mercy” of the US.
He took part in an exchange of views with members of the parliamentary committee on transport and said that 2013 was the best year for the EU in terms of safety but that it was out of the question for them to rest on their laurels. He warned that in the future they had to do “more with less”. EASA's budget is made up of around 70% of contributions from the industry and approximately 25% from the EU's budget, which ensures the independence of the authority, explained Ky. Nonetheless, due to the crisis, these budgets do not allow EASA to be present on all the different fronts. Ky warned against underfunding research and said that the budgets were ridiculously low compared to those in the US in this area and that the EU was at risk of becoming dependent on data provided by Washington. He also warned against budget cuts in member states, where national aviation safety authorities were no longer automatically recruiting the required staff. He suggested that the “richest countries” transfer experts to the countries experiencing the most difficulties.
The director-general was questioned by MEPs regarding implementation of new rules on pilot and crew flight and standby times and provided assurances that he was committed to monitoring this case very closely. He has already set up a working group consisting of industry and unions, which was aimed at highlighting possible problems and providing appropriate solutions to them. Ky also indicated to MEPs that EASA was currently carrying out work to ensure that the use of mobile phones were authorised before takeoff and during flights. (MD/trans.fl)