10 Air traffic management
(a)
(32467)
5756/11
COM(11) 14
(b)
(32471)
17915/10
SEC(10) 1580
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Commission Report on the intermediate evaluation of the SESAR joint Undertaking and its progress on the execution of the European Air Traffic Management master plan
Commission Staff Working Paper on preparing a deployment strategy for the Single European Sky technological pillar
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Legal base |
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Document originated | (a) 24 January 2011
(b) 10 December 2010
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Deposited in Parliament | (a) 28 January 2011
(b) 31 January 2011
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Department | Transport
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Basis of consideration | EM of 11 February 2011
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Previous Committee Report | None
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To be discussed in Council | 31 March 2011
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Committee's assessment | Politically important
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Committee's decision | Cleared
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Background
10.1 The Single European Sky was established in 2004 in order
to facilitate a single market in air transport. The legislative
basis was established with four foundation Regulations.[53]
The main Single European Sky objectives are to improve and
reinforce aviation safety, to restructure European airspace so
as to accommodate air traffic flow more efficiently and cost-effectively,
without the constraints imposed by national borders, and to create
a uniform and interoperable air traffic management system. The
SESAR (Single European Sky air traffic management research) programme
is seen as the originally industry-led implementation programme
for the Single European Sky and is designed to complement the
existing regulatory framework and to facilitate the implementation
of new technology in the field of air traffic management (ATM).
10.2 SESAR is organised in three principal phases:
- a two-year Definition Phase
(2006-2007) drawing up an ATM Master Plan for the modernisation
of air traffic management in Europe;
- a six-year Development Phase (2008-2013) establishing
the technological basis for the new system; and
- the Deployment Phase of the new systems (2014-2020
in the first instance, but likely to be followed by a second phase
up to 2030).
10.3 The ATM Master Plan which was the result of
the Definition Phase is designed to support, during the Development
Phase, the SESAR Concept of Operations, the main features of which
are:
- optimum trajectories to allow
operators maximum efficiency and fuel savings;
- collaborative planning between all parties involved
in flight management;
- dynamic airspace management involving enhanced
civil/military co-operation;
- introduction of new technologies embedded into
a harmonised and interoperable technical architecture; and
- a continuing major role for the air traffic controller,
but assisted by advanced tools to ease the burden of routine tasks
and thereby increase productivity.
10.4 In 2007 a Joint Undertaking (JU), which allows
public and private financing, was established to manage the Development
Phase of the SESAR programme.[54]
In 2008 the JU was given the legal status of a Community (now
EU) body.[55] Subsequently,
private industry partners have joined the SESAR JU. Membership
contracts were formally concluded with 15 private partners (including
the UK's NATS (National Air Traffic Services) and an airports
consortium involving BAA) and with Eurocontrol[56]
in June 2009. This signalled the formal launch of the Development
Phase. The total estimated cost of that phase is 2.1 billion,
shared equally between the EU (drawing on funds from the 7th Framework
Programme for Research and Technology and the Trans-European Transport
Network programme), Eurocontrol and the industry.
The documents
10.5 In the report, document (a), the Commission
addresses two obligations. First, it presents the results of its
first intermediate evaluation of the SESAR JU, which it is required
to do every three years. Secondly, it fulfils the requirement,
under a March 2009 Council Resolution endorsing the ATM Master
Plan, to report in 2010 (and thereafter annually) on progress
in the implementation of the Master Plan.
10.6 The Commission carried out the first intermediate
evaluation in 2010 with the assistance of external independent
consultants, in accordance with standard evaluation criteria used
by the Commission. Data was mainly collected through the SESAR
JU's parent Directorate-General (DG Mobility and Transport) and
a desk study. To supplement this, an e-survey was carried out
targeting members of the SESAR JU Administrative Board, Member
States (through the Single Sky Committee, the delegated authority
body for Single European Sky) and individual and focus group interviews.
The overall conclusion of the evaluation is that the SESAR JU
performed well during the reference period in terms of setting
up and developing its organisation. It is noted that the amendment
of the SESAR JU Regulation transforming it into an EU body had
the effect of slowing down the set up progress, because of the
need to adopt new financial rules, new staff contracts and accounting
principles required for such bodies. Financial management and
audit capacity is in place, but some systems and support measures
have still to be implemented.
10.7 The Commission reports that:
- in general, SESAR JU stakeholders
are satisfied that the JU has implemented planned activities and
achieved the expected results during the reference period;
- key achievements include gathering and committing
stakeholders on a common research and development programme, aligning
the work programme with the Master Plan, developing the required
methods and tools for programme implementation and initiating
a large number of projects in a short time frame (300 projects
organised into 17 work packages);
- there is consensus amongst SESAR JU members of
the importance of an efficient risk management framework that
fully involves them in its establishment;
- an "Enterprise Risk Management Framework"
being developed for implementation in 2010 is at an advanced stage
of preparation but implementation has slipped to 2011;
- the SESAR JU has made efforts to involve a wide
range of stakeholders through the membership process and by setting
up the Scientific Committee and the Strategic Performance Partnership;
- an "Associate" membership category
has been introduced, which has enabled the SESAR JU and its members
to extend participation to a broader range of stakeholders, in
particular small and medium enterprises, research institutes and
academia;
- it is too early to assess the overall efficiency
of the SESAR JU, but the progress made suggests that the JU model
has been more efficient than if the SESAR Development Phase were
to have been implemented through a conventional R&D call for
proposals and has been effective in assembling the relevant stakeholders
and in its coordination of activities;
- the Master Plan, a detailed roadmap covering
both the development and deployment phases of SESAR was adopted
by the SESAR JU Administrative Board in June 2009 and it is responsible
for its execution;
- by 2010 85% of the 300 projects had been launched
with about 160 having started actual R&D work and a small
number of projects had already produced deliverables;
- the Development Phase is divided into three Implementation
Packages (IPs) IP1 containing the basic validated functionalities
and technologies of the SESAR operational concept available to
be deployed and setting the baseline for the future deployment
of more advanced functionalities, IP2 which is composed of ATM
elements which need further research and development and that
can be proposed for standardization and implementation as of 2014
and IP3 which is composed of the most advanced elements of the
SESAR operational concept allowing the full transition to the
4D trajectory management and time based aircraft operations, for
deployment beyond 2020;
- any delay in implementing short term initiatives
of IP1 is regarded as a significant risk for the SESAR programmeto
ensure effective oversight of IP1 deployment in April 2010 the
Commission set up an IP1 Steering Group, under the auspices of
the Single Sky Committee, to make recommendations in the event
of any slippage from the deployment schedule;
- the March 2009 Council Resolution called for
the SESAR JU to submit the first update of the ATM Master Plan
to the Administrative Board for adoption before the end of March
2010;
- this first update, which was discussed by the
Administrative Board on 30 April 2010, was limited and consisted
of refinement of the IP1 operational improvements, the introduction
of regulatory and standardisation roadmaps and the update of the
risk management plan;
- the Single Sky Committee, on 7 May 2010, and
the Eurocontrol Stakeholder Consultation Group, on 17 May 2010,
both approved the proposed amendments without any change;
- future updates are expected every 18 to 24 months;
and
- the next update of the Master Plan could address
the link between the Single European Sky Performance Plan (high
level needs) and the Master Plan (technological response to need
for improving network performance).
10.8 The March 2009 Council Resolution requested
the Commission to come forward, after consultation with the Single
Sky Committee, with precise proposals for the preparation of and
transition to the SESAR Deployment Phase, concentrating on governance
and funding mechanisms. The Commission services have started work
on assessing the challenges and key issues related to a deployment
strategy and the aim of Working Paper, document (b), is to provide
the Council with some initial elements in reply to its request.
In the document the Commission first says ten general principles,
elaborated in an annex, have been identified that should drive
the deployment strategy. These include:
- recognition of SESAR as a key
enabler for delivery of the Single European Sky and its benefits;
- successful SESAR JU delivery of the Development
Phase;
- effective governance for the Deployment Phase;
- the importance of human factors;
- involvement and buy-in of civil and military
stakeholders; and
- EU funding concentration on projects that benefit
the network.
10.9 Next the Commission says that its services are
exploring several options for defining governance mechanisms:
- high level steering through
the existing Single European Sky regulatory framework, with the
Commission regulating to ensure timely achievement of key milestones
by relevant stakeholders and with responsibility for maintaining,
executing and coordinating the Deployment Strategy to lie mainly
with the industry;
- designation of the "network manager"the
Commission could propose to extend the role of the network manager
as overall coordinator, with the relevant stakeholders, of the
Deployment Strategy; and
- establishment of a European partnershipa
European public-private partnership involving relevant stakeholders
could be set up by the Commission to oversee deployment.
10.10 Finally, the Commission says it has established
a dedicated task force to complete this workthe intention
is for it to deliver substantive proposals on governance and possible
funding/financing mechanisms for a Deployment Strategy by March
2011. The task force is comprised of Commission, Eurocontrol and
European Aviation Safety Agency representatives and is consulting
all relevant stakeholders and the Single Sky Committee. It will
be assisted by an expert group, comprising military, industry
and European Investment Bank representatives.
The Government's view
10.11 The Minister of State, Department for Transport
(Mrs Theresa Villiers) says that:
- the Government supports the
Single European Sky and its related technological project, SESAR;
- it recognises that it is vital for the SESAR
governance arrangements to deliver;
- this will require effective project management,
management of change, recognition and mitigation of risks and
budget control; and
- there is a need for the SESAR JU to prioritise
to ensure early and adequate focus on SESAR work packages which
deliver network benefits.
10.12 The Minister comments further that:
- The Government supports the
establishment of a SESAR deployment strategy task force and will
seek opportunities to engage with the Commission and SESAR JU
to offer assistance and to safeguard UK interests;
- it is important to secure a strong financial
basis for the Deployment Phase to be self-sustaining rather than
overly dependent on public fundingwhere EU public funding
is used it should be network-centric;
- critical to continuing stakeholder buy-in is
involvement of all sectors of the aviation community in the decision-making
process, notably the military and general aviation communitiestransparency
in the production of proposals will also be sought;
- the Commission relays EU positions reached at
the Single Sky Committee to the SESAR JU Administrative BoardUK
civil and military officials will continue to use their attendance
at the Committee and regular liaison with the Civil Aviation Authority
and NATS both to closely track the SESAR JU's management of the
Development Phase and to scrutinise proposals for a deployment
strategy; and
- the Government will continue to actively engage
with the Commission and stakeholders across the aviation industry.
Conclusion
10.13 Whilst we have no questions to raise in
relation to these documents and clear them from scrutiny, we draw
them to the attention of the House for the information they give
of progress on developments on the important programme to develop
and deploy an integrated modern air traffic management system
for Europe.
53 Regulation (EC) No 549/2004 laying down the framework
for the creation of the Single European Sky, Regulation (EC) No
550/2004 on the provision of air navigation services, Regulation
(EC) No 551/2004 on the organisation and use of the airspace and
Regulation (EC) No 552/2004 on the interoperability of the European
air traffic management network. Back
54
For the SESAR JU see http://www.sesarju.eu/. Back
55
That is giving it legal personality, applying the Financial Regulation,
on budgetary management, and Commission staff regulations, and
dealing with such matters as liability and privileges and immunities,
with substantial tax advantages. Back
56
The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, founded
in 1960, now with membership of 39 countries and the EU: see http://www.eurocontrol.int/sesar/public/subsite_homepage/homepage.html.
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