14/05/2019 (Agence Europe) – On Tuesday, 14 May, 22 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, and Sweden) and the European Defence Agency signed a new programme designed to facilitate the granting of cross-border air and surface movement permissions. This programme aims to harmonise the different national regulations of the participating Member States and should allow them to reduce the administrative burden associated with different permission procedures and thus considerably shorten the timelines for granting cross-border surface and air movement permissions. The arrangements—which cover surface movements (road, rail, and inland waterways) and air movements (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems, fighter aircraft, or helicopters)—are expected to be finalised in 2020. (CG)