COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION Governance and incentive mechanisms for the deployment of SESAR, the Single European Sky's technological pillar.
Date: 2011-12-22
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: air safety, air space, air traffic, air traffic control, common transport policy, innovation

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 22.12.2011 
COM(2011) 923 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 

Governance and incentive mechanisms for the deployment of SESAR, the Single 
European Sky's technological pillar. 

 
 
 
 
  
 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 

Governance and incentive mechanisms for the deployment of SESAR, the Single 
European Sky's technological pillar. 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The Single European Sky ATM1 Research Programme (SESAR) is the technological pillar of 
the  Single  European  Sky  (SES).  SES  is  an  ambitious  initiative  launched  by  the  European 
Commission  in  2004  to  reform  European  ATM  through  an  approach,  that  incorporates  all 
components of the European air transport system. This ATM reform contributes to achieving 
the objectives for aviation described in both in the Transport White Paper2 and the Flight Path 
2050  report3.  SESAR  contributes  to  the  implementation  of  the  SES  by  developing 
technologies  and  procedures  for  a  new-generation  ATM  system  capable  of  enhancing 
performance  by  tripling  the  current  capacity  while  improving  safety  by  a  factor  of  10, 
reducing by 50% costs for the airlines and reducing air transport’s impact on the environment 
by 10% per flight (SES performance objectives). 

At  the  heart  of  SESAR  is  the  European  ATM  Master  plan4  (Master  plan),  a  cooperative 
framework bringing together all relevant stakeholders. For the first time, all aviation players 
are  involved  in  the  definition,  development  and  deployment  of  a  pan-European  ATM 
modernisation  project.  Today  the  Programme  is  in  the  development  phase,  managed  by  the 
SESAR  Joint  Undertaking5  (SJU),  a  Public  Private  Partnership  (PPP)  that  comprises  17 
members and over 80 other participants also from third countries. 

According  to  the  Master  plan,  SESAR  deployment  will  require  total  investments  exceeding 
EUR  30  billion  but  will  generate  significant  economic  value  and  improvements  in  safety, 
quality  of  service  and  environment  for  Europe.  These  benefits  are  however  extremely 
dependent on the ability of the stakeholders to move forward with deployment in a timely and 
synchronised way (Table 1). 

Table 16 

SESAR deployed 
according to the 
Master plan 

Impact if 10 years 
delayed deployment 

Impact if 
unsynchronised 
deployment 

Cumulative 
on EU GDP 

impact 

EUR 419 billion 

-30% 

-28% 

1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 

EN 

Air Traffic Management 
COM(2011)144, 28.3.2011 
http://ec.europa.eu/research/transport/pdf/flightpath2050_final.pdf 
http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air/sesar/european_atm_en.htm 
Regulation (EC) 219/2007 OJ L64, p.1, 27.2.2007 
SJU 
of  SESAR, 
press/documents/assessing-macroeconomic-impact-sesar-874, June 2011 

the  macro-economic 

impact 

study 

on 

http://www.sesarju.eu/news-

2 

   EN 

 
  
                                                 
Jobs created 

328 000 

CO2 saved 

50 million tons 

-58% 

-110% 

-22% 

-70% 

The  deployment  of  SES  technologies  and  procedures  is  the  natural  sequence  of  their 
development and validation by the SJU. In March 2009, the Council asked the Commission to 
present  proposals  for  the  preparation  and  transition  to  the  deployment  phase  of  SESAR, 
focusing  on  governance  and  adequate  funding  mechanisms.  The  Commission  services' 
preliminary  assessment  of  SESAR  deployment  objectives  and  challenges  was  reported  in  a 
staff working paper issued in December 20107. On this basis, more detailed assessment and 
consultation  processes  were  carried  out  through  a  high  level  task  force,  chaired  by  the 
Commission  and  comprising  top  officials  from  the  European  Aviation  Safety  Agency 
(EASA), the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol), and the 
SJU,  assisted  by  a  group  of  experts  representing  a  wide  range  of  stakeholders.  From  the 
conclusions  of  the  task  force  and  expert  group8,  the  results  from  other  consultations, 
workshops  and  spontaneous  contributions  from  stakeholders,  the  Commission  derived  the 
following basic approach: 

(1) 

(2) 

SESAR deployment must be performance driven; 

Only  a  timely  deployment  of  SESAR  through  synchronisation  and  coordination  of 
deployment  activities  will  achieve  the  SES  performance  objectives  and  overall 
economic benefits expected from ATM modernisation; 

(3) 

The Commission needs to: 

– 

– 

establish  effective  governance  of  deployment  with  appropriate  incentive 
mechanisms  using  the  existing  SES  framework  and  existing  EU  funding 
mechanisms; 

take  the  necessary  initiatives  to  create  credibility  in  the  deployment  process 
encouraging early investments from stakeholders also taking due account of the 
needs of specific stakeholders such as military, business and general aviation; 

(4) 

Industry9,  in  particular  stakeholders  investing  in  SESAR  deployment,  shall  play  a 
central  role  in  coordinating  and  synchronising  the  deployment  activities  under  EU 
political oversight. 

This Communication describes the main elements proposed by  the Commission to establish 
governance  and  incentive  mechanisms  for  SESAR  deployment  and  the  action  plan  to 
implement them from 2012 onwards. 

7 
8 
9 

SEC(2010)1580 final 
http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air/sesar/deployment_en.htm 
Industry refers to: air navigation service providers, airspace users, airport operators, the manufacturing 
industry and professional staff  

EN 

3 

   EN 

 
                                                 
2. 

PREPARING SESAR DEPLOYMENT 

2.1. 

Building on the SES framework 

Deployment governance and incentive mechanisms shall build on existing SES instruments10: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

(9) 

(10) 

(11) 

the Single Sky Committee11 and the Industry Consultation Body12 provide a wide EU 
Member States and industry consultation process; 

the  performance13  and  the  charging14  schemes  provide  the  main  mechanisms  for 
stakeholders to align their investment plans with the Master plan; 

the Interoperability Implementing Rules are the enforcement mechanisms to ensure 
deployment of essential performance enablers;  

the  Functional  Airspace  Blocks  are  a  vehicle  for  regional  synchronization  of 
deployment and for common procurement; 

the Master plan is the agreed roadmap connecting research and development (R&D) 
with  deployment  scenarios  to  achieve  performance  objectives,  which  also  includes 
the  regulatory  and  the  standardisation  roadmaps  and  will  identify  the  essential 
deployments; 

Eurocontrol, in particular through its Directorate Single Sky, assists the Commission 
in its role as EU Regulator; 

the  Network  Manager  is  responsible  for  ensuring  that  network  performance  targets 
are  met  and  is  competent  to  coordinate  network  performance  related  deployments 
while ensuring the maintenance of the Network Strategy Plan15; 

the  Performance  Review  Body  assists  the  Commission  to  prioritise  and  monitor 
deployments  through  their  effect  on  performance  and  to  define  future  performance 
targets based on the planned technological improvements; 

the  SJU  is  responsible  for  the  maintenance  and  execution  of  the  Master  plan 
connecting R&D and deployment scenarios and assembles the technical competences 
and  ability  to  manage  large  scale  programmes  safeguarding  public  interest  and 
achieving stakeholders' buy-in; 

EASA has an essential role in rulemaking, safety oversight and promotion and assists 
the Commission on certification and interoperability issues; 

National  Supervisory  Authorities  are  responsible  for  safety  oversight  and 
certification  of  air  navigation  service  providers  (ANSP)  and  monitoring  their 

10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 

SEC(2010)1580 final 
Regulation (EC) 549/2004, Article 5.1, OJ L96, p.6, 31.3.2004 
Regulation (EC) 549/2004, Article 6, OJ L96, p.6, 31.3.2004 
Regulation (EU) 691/2010, OJ L201, p.1, 03.08.2010 
Regulation (EC) 550/2004, OJ L96, p.10, 31.03.2004 
Regulation (EU) 677/2011, Annex IV, OJ L185, p.22, 15.7.2011 

EN 

4 

   EN 

 
                                                 
compliance  with  the  SES  Service  Provision  Regulation16  and  related  common 
requirements  for  the  provision  of  air  navigation  services  and  application  of 
safeguards under the interoperability regulation17;  

the Consultative expert group on the social dimension of the SES18 has an advisory 
role regarding all measures having significant social implications; 

Common projects19 are an effective tool to establish governance mechanisms and a 
vehicle to allocate EU funding. 

(12) 

(13) 

2.2. 

Updating the Master plan 

In  its  present  form,  the  Master  plan  is  an  essential  instrument  to  keep  ATM  R&D  fully 
deployment  oriented.  It  will  have  to  better  align  the  identified  deployment  scenarios  with 
expected performance benefits, organising them into consistent deployment packages clearly 
identifying  those  deployments  essential  to  the  achievement  of  the  SES  performance 
objectives. It will also need to incorporate International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) 
"building  blocks"20  concept  to  ensure  SESAR  interoperability  with  other  regional  ATM 
modernisation projects. 

2.3. 

Interim steering arrangements  

The  transition  towards  future  governance  must  be  organized  now  to  avoid  delayed  or 
unsynchronized  deployment  in  the  critical  period  preceding  the  establishment  of  the 
deployment  governance.  The  Commission  has  already  set  up  a  temporary  ad  hoc  steering 
group  under  the  auspices  of  the  Single  Sky  Committee  to  facilitate  synchronization  of  on-
going deployment activities. This committee agreed to consolidate this process by turning it 
into a transitional steering arrangement for SESAR deployment while serving as a test bed for 
the future governance. 

2.4. 

Facilitating industrialisation 

SESAR deployment comprises two distinct sub-phases: industrialisation and implementation. 
Industrialisation  follows  the  SJU's  validation  of  technologies  and  includes  standardisation, 
certification  and  large  scale  production  and  is  carried  out  by  the  manufacturing  industry 
(ground and airborne equipment manufacturers). Implementation consists in the procurement, 
installation  and  commissioning  of  equipment  and  the  implementation  of  procedures  and  is 
carried out by airspace users, ANSP and airports. 

Careful  planning  for  industrialisation  in  the  Master  plan  is  fundamental  for  realistic 
deployment  planning.  Industrialisation  is  driven  by  manufacturing  industry's  decisions  to 
market  SESAR  validated  technologies  and  by  ATM  products'  lifecycles.  It  also  requires 
interaction  with  regulatory  organisations21  and  standardisation  organisations22.  The 

16 
17 
18 
19 

20 

21 

Regulation (EC) 550/2004, OJ L96, p.10, 31.03.2004 
Regulation (EC) 552/2004, OJ L96, p.26, 31.03.2004 
Commission Decision C/2010/9016, 20.12.2010 
Regulation  (EC)  550/2004  amended  by  Regulation  (EC)1070/2009,  Article  15a,  OJ  L300,  p.34, 
14.11.2009 
ICAO's  working  document  to  the  Global  Air  Navigation  Industry  Symposium  on  Aviation  System 
Block Upgrade, http://www2.icao.int/en/GANIS 
Such as EASA and ICAO 

EN 

5 

   EN 

 
                                                 
Commission  can  facilitate  certification  and  standardisation  processes  through  continued 
financial  support  to  the  EU  Standardisation  Organisations  and  cooperation  with  the  Federal 
Aviation  Administration  of  the  United  States  of  America23  and  ICAO24  to  ensure  global 
interoperability. 

SESAR  will  impact  many  aspects  of  aviation  from  aircraft  and  airports  to  procedures  and 
working  methods.  As  safety  is  a  common  denominator  to  all  these  aspects,  EASA  plays  an 
essential  role  in  this  process  in  ensuring  timely  regulation  and  consistency  between  safety 
regulations and SESAR developments. 

2.5. 

Continued technological innovation  

It will be necessary to address the longer term  need  for  technological  innovation  to  support 
evolving  performance  requirements.  Development  and  deployment  are  two  interrelated 
processes: on one hand, ATM R&D will not stop with the completion of SJU's mandate; on 
the other hand, SESAR deployment will spread over many years, requiring R&D support to 
technological  reactivity  required  by  an  evolving  operational 
ensure 
environment. 

the  necessary 

The experience of the SJU is proving the value of a PPP as single governance for managing 
ATM  R&D25.  The  Commission  considers  that  the  PPP  approach  through  an  EU  body  is 
delivering  the  desired  results  and  should  be  continued.  As  the  SJU's  mandate  expires  on 
31.12.2016, the Commission will carry out the necessary evaluation and consultations with a 
view  to  submitting  a  relevant  proposal  to  the  Council  and  the  European  Parliament  before 
2013.  

3. 

SESAR DEPLOYMENT FINANCING AND FUNDING  

A major challenge in the deployment process is financing timely implementation. More than 
2/3  of  the  total  investments  required  for  SESAR  implementation  will  be  borne  by  civil  and 
military  airspace  users  for  equipping  their  aircraft  (EUR  22  billion)26.  The  remaining 
investments,  borne  by  civil  and  military  ANSP  and  airport  operators,  will  be  necessary  for 
ground  equipment  (EUR  8  billion)27.  It  is  necessary  to  ensure  a  strong  connection  between 
investments  and  benefits.  The  targets  imposed  by  the  Performance  Scheme28  in  key 
performance  areas  of  capacity,  environment,  safety  and  cost-efficiency  should  constitute 
strong  incentives  for  ANSP  to  invest  early  on  new  technology.  Military  and  state  aircraft, 
general  and  business  aviation  however,  may  not  have  positive  business  cases  in  deploying 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

Such as the EU Standardisation Organisations, which include European Committee for Electrotechnical 
Standardisation  and  the  European  Telecommunications  Standards  Institute,  the  Organisation  for  Civil 
Aviation Equipment and Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics 
Memorandum of Cooperation EU-US R&D in civil aviation, annex 1 SESAR-NextGen interoperability 
signed on 3.3.2011 
Memorandum  of  Cooperation  between  the  EU  and  the  ICAO  providing  a  framework  for  enhanced 
cooperation, OJ L232, p.2, 9.9.2011 
Report  on  the  intermediate  evaluation  of  the  SESAR  Joint  Undertaking  and  the  progress  on  the 
execution of the European ATM Master plan, COM(2011)14 final, 24.1.2011 
European ATM Master plan : A total of EUR 22 billion, including airlines (EUR 11.5 billion), business 
aviation (EUR 3.4 billion), general aviation (EUR 940 million) and the military (EUR 6.4 billion) 
European ATM Master plan : A total of EUR 8 billion, including military ANSP and airports (EUR 570 
million), civil ANSP (EUR 6.2 billion) and civil airports (EUR 550 million) 
Regulation (EU) 691/2010, OJ L201, p.1, 3.8.2010  

EN 

6 

   EN 

 
                                                                                                                                                         
SESAR,  but  will  nevertheless  be  required  to  invest  in  and  implement  some  SESAR 
equipment.  In  addition,  SESAR  implementation  projects  will  require  high  financial  risk-
taking  that  private  financial  markets  either  price  very  high  or  would  not  accept  at  all.  As  a 
result, operators are inclined to be reactive rather than proactive ("last mover advantage"): an 
airline investing in new airborne equipment may not see any benefit before the ANSP have 
made  the  corresponding  investments  on  ground  equipment;  similarly,  ANSP  should  have 
positive business cases when a significant number of aircraft are equipped. 

An  optimized  financial  support  to  implementation  activities  will  ultimately  result  from  a 
coordinated  combination  of  private  and  public  funds  using  the  appropriate  instruments 
adapted  to  the  nature  of  each  project.  In  order  to  mitigate  risks  related  to  negative  business 
cases and to leverage private funds, it is estimated that SESAR implementation would require 
EUR  3  billion  in  EU  funds  over  the  period  2014-2024.  EU  funding  should  support  SESAR 
implementation  by  facilitating  synchronisation  and  coordination  between  stakeholders  for 
essential  deployments  identified  in  the  Master  plan  including,  as  far  as  it  is  allowed  by  the 
relevant funding instruments, those involving third countries. 

The  Connecting  Europe  Facility  (CEF)29,  which  is  an  integrated  instrument  for  investing  in 
EU infrastructure priorities within the framework of the Trans-European Networks policy30 in 
the  sectors  of  transport  (TEN-T),  energy  and  telecommunications,  includes  EU  funding  for 
SESAR deployment. Other potential sources of financing need to be explored, such as loans 
from the European Investment Bank, the SES Charging Regulation and the Emissions Trading 
Scheme. 

4. 

DEPLOYMENT GOVERNANCE 

4.1. 

Scope 

Governance and incentive mechanisms for SESAR deployment must focus on the deployment 
activities identified in the Master plan as critical to achieve SES performance objectives. The 
geographical scope of deployment will primarily address the deployment within the SES area. 
Nevertheless,  governance  mechanisms  should  provide  for  the  necessary  coordination, 
synchronisation, and cooperation with third countries with a pan-European perspective.  

4.2. 

Governance functions 

4.2.1.  Deployment Programme maintenance  

Deployment governance will need to develop, adopt and update a Deployment Programme as 
the binding reference for synchronizing, monitoring and funding of implementation projects. 
The  Deployment  Programme  should  be  kept  fully  consistent  with  the  Master  plan  and  the 
Network Strategy Plan, reconciling planning performance and budget requirements in a single 
work programme steering deployment governance. It will focus on the Master plan's essential 
deployments aiming to achieve key performance targets, identifying actions required from the 
relevant stakeholders with the associated risks and mitigations.  

29 

30 

Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Connecting 
Europe Facility, COM(2011)665 of 19.10.2011 
Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Union guidelines for the 
development of the trans-European transport network, COM(2011)650 of 19.10.2011 

EN 

7 

   EN 

 
                                                 
4.2.2.  Deployment Programme execution  

This function consists in: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

synchronizing timing, coordinating deployment activities and aligning  stakeholders' 
investment plans with the Deployment Programme while avoiding conflict of interest 
and promoting fair competition; 

supporting  stakeholders  in  executing  their  investments  plans  through  effective 
decision  making, 
legitimacy,  sharing  best  practices,  promoting  common 
procurement, providing common tools and guidance, raising awareness, encouraging 
transparency, highlighting benefits; 

enforcing and incentivising the achievement of key performance milestones through 
SES tools and appropriate legal instruments; 

managing  the  risks  associated  with  deployment  activities  and  activating  mitigation 
actions. 

4.2.3.  Monitoring and reporting  

Deployment  governance  should  also  cover  the  monitoring  and  reporting  on  the  progress  of 
deployment with respect to the Deployment Programme, in particular: 

– 

– 

assessing  the  alignment  of  stakeholders'  individual  investment  plans  with  the 
Deployment Programme; 

detecting and reporting gaps in terms of planning, budget and performance, analysing 
them  and  defining  corrective  actions  to  be  implemented  as  part  of  the  execution 
function. 

4.2.4.  Financial Management  

Finally, deployment governance needs to ensure an adequate combination and management of 
the available public and private financial resources to execute the Deployment Programme by: 

– 

– 

– 

leveraging and allocating funds, in a non-discriminatory manner, to stimulate timely 
investments in implementing new technologies and procedures; 

supporting stakeholders in negotiating with financial organisms; 

ensuring sound and transparent financial management. 

4.3. 

Governance structure 

SESAR  deployment  governance  should  ensure  a  strong  EU  political  oversight,  adequate 
connections  with  and  involvement  of  SES  instruments  and  bodies  and  a  central  role  for 
stakeholders, especially those investing in deployment. This can be achieved through a single 
structure 
and 
"Implementation".  This  three-tiered  governance  involves  the  accountable  entities  in 
accordance with their respective competences and respects the principle of separation between 
regulatory/oversight functions and service provision. 

"Management" 

interrelated 

comprising 

"Political", 

levels: 

three 

EN 

8 

   EN 

 
This structure could be defined in the guidance material for common projects31, which would 
establish, for each level the main players, responsibilities, accountability, contributions to the 
governance  functions  (Table  2)  and  the  interactions  and  binding  arrangements  between  the 
players  in  each  level  and  the  necessary  external  interfaces. A  reporting structure  will  define 
how powers and supervision are implemented throughout the three levels and the Master plan 
and the Network Strategy plan will set the action timeline. Deployment governance should be 
adequately  flexible  and  reactive  to  cope  with  any  form  of  contingency  while  assuring 
transparency, fair competition and avoiding conflict of interest. 

4.3.1.  Political level  

The top level of the governance structure should safeguard the public interest and coherence 
with  the  SES  framework  setting,  in  particular,  priority  performance  targets  and  safety 
requirements,  ensure  timely  regulation  and  effective  management  of  EU  funds.  Considering 
its  institutional  role  and  its  responsibility  for  SES  implementation  and  management  of  EU 
funds, the Commission will lead this level with the relevant support of: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

the  Single  Sky  Committee  and  the  Industry  Consultation  Body,  in  particular  the 
airspace users as the main customers of SESAR deployment; 

the Performave Review Body; 

Eurocontrol, in particular its Directorate Single Sky; 

EASA; 

the Consultative expert group on social dimension of the SES; 

the European Defence Agency.  

The  Commission  would  retain  full  control  over  decisions  on  EU  funding  to  the  common 
projects,  in  accordance  with  the  rules  governing  the  relevant  funding  programmes  and  by 
establishing  the  appropriate  contractual  relationships  with  the  beneficiaries  of  the  financial 
support.  This  level  should  establish  adequate  interfaces  with  third  countries,  standardisation 
organisations and relevant non-EU regulatory authorities. 

4.3.2.  Management level 

Considering  that  industry  is  responsible  for  the  performance  of  the  system  and  that  it  will 
necessarily  bear  the  majority  of  the  costs  of  deployment  activities,  it  appears  that  a 
Deployment Manager, consisting of a representative industrial partnership leading this level, 
is  the  most  appropriate  approach  to  enable  industry  to  play  the  leading  role  it  legitimately 
claims in SESAR deployment. This level will also include the Network Manager and the SJU 
that,  within  their  respective  competences,  will  provide  the  Deployment  Manager  with  a 
feedback  on  the  (ex-ante  and  ex-post)  impact  of  the  Deployment  programme  on  operations 
and  the  availability  of  operational  and  technical  improvements  to  be  included  in  that 
programme respectively. 

31 

Regulation  (EC)  550/2004  amended  by  Regulation  (EC)1070/2009,  Article  15a(2),  OJ  L30,  p., 
14.11.2009 

EN 

9 

   EN 

 
                                                 
The  Deployment  Manager  could  be  set  up  as  a  common  project  under  Article  15a(3)  of 
Regulation  550/2004,  which  requires  that  the  Commission  carries  out  an  independent  cost-
benefit analysis and appropriate consultations with Member states and relevant stakeholders. 
The  characteristics  and  requirements  for  the  Deployment  Manager  would  be  defined  in  the 
guidance  material  for  common  projects  envisaged  by  the  same  regulation,  which  would  in 
particular: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

define the procedure for the establishment of the industrial partnership; 

define  the  tasks  of  the  Deployment  Manager  and  the  required  attributes  to  execute 
them, including the appropriate mechanisms to avoid any risk of conflict of interest 
and the interactions with public authorities; 

indicate which stakeholders are required to participate in the partnership to guarantee 
its  managerial  and  geographical  legitimacy  and  ensure  appropriate  differentiation 
between  consulting  stakeholders  and  giving  them  a  stronger  [managerial]  role  as 
investors and suppliers;  

require the binding commitment of the participants to develop/maintain and execute 
the  Deployment  Programme,  assuming  the  associated  deployment  risks  where 
necessary, under the oversight of the political level;  

define the roles of, and working arrangements with, the Network Manager, the SJU 
and  the  body  entrusted  to  ensure  the  coordination  of  the  military  implementation 
projects; 

define  the  external  interfaces,  in  particular  with  third  countries  in  a  pan-European 
context; 

promote regional coordination through Functional Airspace Blocks. 

The  Deployment  Manager  would  be  selected through  an  open  call  process.  Should  industry 
fail to establish a partnership for the Deployment Manager, it could be envisaged to designate 
an existing entity to execute this role. 

The Deployment Manager would evaluate financing needs of the implementation projects and 
match them with the public and private funding instruments as necessary. It will support the 
political level in deciding on the allocation of public funding to common projects . 

4.3.3. 

Implementation level 

This level is primarily composed of the common projects' managers. They will be required to 
implement decisions of the Deployment Manager to ensure consistency of these projects with 
the  Deployment  Programme.  However,  as  SESAR  deployment  activities  will  be  wider  than 
those  that  can  be  eligible  as  common  projects,  this  level  should  remain  open  to  other 
implementation projects related to: 

– 

– 

EN 

SESAR related deployment activities carried out by the military; 

deployment  activities  not  related  to  essential  deployments  in  the  Deployment 
Programme but consistent with the Master plan; 

10 

   EN 

 
– 

deployment activities outside the SES area.  

The  relationship  between  these  projects  and  the  Deployment  Manager  would  have  to  be 
defined on a case by case basis. 

Table 2- Contributions to governance functions  

Political level 

Management level 

Implementation level 

European Commission 

Deployment Manager 

Project managers 

– Endorse the Deployment 

– Submit the Deployment 

– Establish the Deployment 

Programme 

Deployment 
Programme 
Maintenance 

Programme 

Deployment 
Programme 
Execution 

– Overall oversight 
– Decisions/arbitrations 
– Enforcement/incentivisation 
through regulation and/or 
financial stimulus 

Reporting & 
monitoring 

– Overall monitoring  

Financial 
management 

– Decide on allocation of EU 
funds to Common projects 

Programme to the political 
level for endorsement 

– Adopt the endorsed 

Deployment Programme 
– Implement decisions of the 

Political level 

– Synchronised execution of 

– Implementation of the 

the Deployment 
Programme 

Management level decisions 

– Individual management of 

– Coordination of the 

projects  

Implementation projects  

– Risk management 
– Monitor & report 
exectution of the 
Deployment Programme to 
the Political level 

– activate alert mechanisms 

– Combine public & private 

funds 

– Propose allocation of EU 

funds to Common Projects 

– Financial management of 
Implementation projects 

– Reports progress on 

individual implementation 
projects & contribution to 
Deployment Programme 
– activate alert mechanisms  

– Financial management of 

allocated funds for 
individual implementation 
projects  

5. 

CONCLUSIONS 

SESAR deployment is an essential step towards the full implementation of the SES. Only a 
timely,  synchronised  and  coordinated  deployment,  fully  integrated  in  SES  framework  will 
effectively  contribute  to  achieving  the  SES  performance  objectives.  The  Commission, 
continuing  to  implement  and  coordinate  SES  instruments,  aims  to  facilitate  SESAR 
deployment. 

A  number  of  actions  will  be  initiated  without  delay  as  it  is  estimated  that  the  set  up  of  the 
Deployment Manager and the launch of the most urgent common projects could require up to 
36  months.  In  particular,  the  Commission  will  ensure  coherence  of  development  and 
deployment processes with the SES framework and that the human factor, military and safety 
issues are duly addressed. If necessary, it will consider adapting SES instruments, such as the 
performance  and  charging  schemes  to  better  respond  to  deployment  objectives.  It  will  also 
stregthen and consolidate cooperation with Eurocontrol within the SES framework, focussing 

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on  the  Performance  Review  Body  and  the  Network  Manager,  in  conjunction  with  the 
negotiations for concluding a high level agreement between the EU and Eurocontrol32.  

In  order  to  prepare  the  transition  to  SESAR  deployment,  the  Commission  will  ensure 
consistency  between  the  Network  Strategy  Plan  and  the  Master  plan  update  (planned  to  be 
adopted by July 2012), which will be the references for the Deployment Programme. It will 
ensure that industrialisation issues are duly addressed in the Master plan and that appropriate 
connections  are  established  and  support  is  maintained  to  standardisation  and  certification 
bodies  as  well  as  manufacturing  industry  through  SJU's  technical  expertise.  In  this  context, 
the  Commission  will  continue  to  support  ICAO's  standardisation  effort  and  technical 
cooperation with the USA and Japan to ensure global interoperability. 

The  Commission  will  carry  out  the  necessary  assessments  and  consultations  in  view  of 
submitting  a  proposal  before  2013,  consistent  with  the  future  financial  perspectives,  for 
extending  the  SJU's  mandate  beyond  31.12.2016.  The  proposal  should  also  address  the 
governance  and  funding  of  future  ATM  R&D,  Master  plan  maintenance  and  coordination 
between development and deployment governances.  

The Commission will also implement the actions endorsed by  the Single Sky Committee to 
consolidate the steering process for early deployment activities, as test bed for the deployment 
governance  mechanisms  to  be  implemented,  and  ensure  its  continuation  up  to  the 
establishment  of  the  future  deployment  governance  (January  2012).  This  will  include  the 
initialisation of an interim deployment programme (March 2012).  

Common  projects  and  the  related  guidance  material  will  be  used  as  vehicles  to  establish 
deployment  governance  and  to  channel  incentives  for  timely  and  synchronised  deployment. 
Deployment  governance  will  be  implemented  through  three  levels  ensuring  a  strong  EU 
political  oversight,  an  effective  deployment  management  through  a  binding  industrial 
partnership  and  an  efficient  management  within  each  individual  implementation  project. 
Incentive  mechanisms  also  include  focussed  EU  financial  support  that  will  be  provided 
through  existing  instruments,  in  particular  through  the  CEF  in  accordance  with  the  TEN-T 
guidelines.  Before  the  end  of  2012  and  after  consulting  Member  states  and  relevant 
stakeholders,  the  Commission  aims  to  establish  and  adopt  guidance  material  for  common 
projects  defining  the  three  levels  of  governance  and  the  eligibility  criteria  for  common 
projects. Based on the guidance material and with the assistance of the SJU and Eurocontrol, 
the  Commission  would  then  prepare  and  launch  the  call  for  proposals  for  the  Deployment 
Manager and establish the future common projects.   

32 

Council's mandate of 6.10.2011 

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