Brussels, 13/07/2004 (Agence Europe) - As pointed out in our bulletin of 13 July (p.12), the European Commission adopted on Monday, by written procedure, a proposal of directive aimed at bringing in a Community license for air traffic controllers. It is not a question of introducing a single document to replace national licenses but of harmonising the systems for granting air traffic control licenses and above all to promote the mutual recognition of licenses on Community territory. The proposal, which is part of the “European Single Sky” legislative package, defines the principles governing the granting and obtaining of licenses. It contains linguistic requirements and stipulates that Member States must assure that air traffic controllers show proof of their ability to speak and understand English in a satisfactory manner. The level of linguistic competence required is defined in the annexes to the proposal and must be the subject of regular and official assessment. The proposal also authorises Member State to guarantee the level of competence of the air traffic controllers by assuring that their training is supervised by the national supervisory authorities.