REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the implementation and progress of the Single European Sky during the 2012-2014 period (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2015-12-16
Institutions: Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, European Commission
Subjects: Eurocontrol, European Joint Undertaking, air safety, air space, air traffic, air traffic control, civil aviation, innovation, trans-European network, transmission network

EN 

   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 16.12.2015  COM(2015) 663 final   REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the implementation and progress of the Single European Sky during the 2012-2014 period   (Text with EEA relevance)  
 
 
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND 
THE COUNCIL 

on the implementation and progress of the Single European Sky during the 2012-2014 
period   

(Text with EEA relevance) 

1.  

Introduction 

Aviation  is  a  key  driver  of  economic  growth,  employment  and  trade  and  has  a  significant 
impact  on  the  EU’s  economy  and  the  life  and  mobility  of  its  citizens.  As  such,  it  plays  an 
important  role  in  delivering  on  the  Commission’s  priorities,  particularly  ‘Jobs,  Growth  and 
Investment’, ‘the EU as a Global Actor’ and ‘Energy Union’. As a fundamental component of 
the aviation  system, air traffic management (ATM)  and  – specifically, the development and 
implementation of the Single European Sky (SES) – makes an important contribution in this 
context.  It  addresses  challenges  related  to  connectivity,  competitiveness,  safety  and  the 
environment. ATM is an industrial activity that ensures the safe separation of aircraft and the 
smooth and orderly flow of air traffic. It involves many stakeholders, including air navigation 
service and system providers, aircraft operators, airports and  the aeronautical manufacturing 
industry. 

The  essential  role  of  ATM  in  the  aviation  value  chain  relates  not  only  to  its  primary  safety 
objective.  The  entire  ATM  system  is  financed  by  the  charges  paid  by  airspace  users. 
Furthermore, as a lack of capacity in air traffic control can cause delays, ATM has an impact 
on the quality of the service airlines provide to passengers and freight customers (40 % of all 
departure delays are directly or indirectly caused by ATM and weather factors). Last but not 
least, ATM has an impact on the environment, as longer air routes lead to higher emissions 
and fuel costs for airspace users (ATM accounts for 6 % of aviation-related CO2 emissions). 

Since the launch of the SES initiative in 2000,1 two packages of legislation have been adopted 
and  almost  fully  implemented.  They  aim  to  reduce  the  fragmentation  of  European  airspace 
and  increase  capacity  by  introducing  additional  rules  on  safety,  airspace  management,  cost 
transparency  and  interoperability.  The  legislation  adopted  in  2009  by  the  Council  and 
European Parliament (SESII),2 which is intended to accelerate the implementation of a truly 
Single  Sky  from  2012  onwards,  is  now  being  implemented  and  its  results  can  therefore  be 
measured. 

In  accordance  with  Article  12(2),  (3)  and  (4)  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  549/2004,  this  report 
provides  an  update  on  the  general  state  of  play  of  the  SES  initiative  and  the  accompanying 
legislation over the 2012-2014 period. In particular, it provides information on the measures 

1 COM(1999) 614 final of 06.12.1999 
2 Regulation (EC) No 1070/2009 of 21.10.09 

2 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
                                                 
that have been taken since the Commission’s previous report to the European Parliament and 
the Council.3 

2 

Achievements relating to performance 

2.1 

First reference period of the SES performance scheme (RP1 – 2012-2014) 

In  Europe,  air  navigation  services  are,  in  most  cases,  provided  by  fully  state-owned 
monopolies.  The  monopolistic  nature  of  air  navigation  services  requires  strong  economic 
regulation, and this is provided by the SES performance scheme4. 

As regards safety, there have been no fatal accidents in which ATM was a contributing factor 
since  2011.  The  number  of  serious  incidents  has  been  falling  since  2010  and  marked 
improvements have been made in safety management. However, the ATM system is not very 
transparent because targets are restricted to processes and do not measure safety performance 
as incidents are not automatically reported. 

With regard to the environment, horizontal enroute flight efficiency (shorter routes) improved 
slightly in 2013 (5.11 %) but did not meet the target (4.92%). In 2014, flight efficiency stood 
at  4.9 %,  falling  short  of  the  target  of  4.67 %  for  the  first  reference  period.  Airspace  users 
(airlines)  sometimes  preferred  to  fly  the  cheapest  routes  (in  terms  of  charging  zones)  rather 
that the shortest. 

With respect to capacity, good progress has been made in reducing capacity delays. In 2012 
and  2013,  the  EU-wide  target  was  met.  In  2013,  en  route  air  traffic  flow  management 
(AFTM) delays decreased by 15 % compared with 2012, as traffic volumes fell by 1.3 %. By 
contrast,  the  ATM  sector  failed  to  achieve  the  network  target  of  reducing  delays  to  0.5 
minutes per flight in 2014. This was owed partly to weather conditions, but also social unrest 
and  poor  contingency  planning  to  manage  the  knock-on  effects.  En-route  ATFM  delays 
occurred mainly in Cyprus, France, Germany, Poland and Spain. 

As regards cost-efficiency, during RP1 air navigation service providers (ANSPs) were able to 
reduce their cost bases because of lower-than-planned traffic volumes. Actual costs were each 
year between -3.4% and -5.9% lower than planned costs (or determined costs). As a result of 
lower air traffic levels, the  actual en-route unit costs were 0.4% higher than EU-wide target 
for 2014. 

The setting and meeting of targets under the SES performance scheme was heavily dependent 
on  traffic  volumes  and  forecasting.  In  RP1  air  traffic  volumes  remained  almost  unchanged 
from 2007 levels and there was a gap between anticipated and real traffic growth. This led to 
lower-than-planned revenues for ANSPs. Traffic volumes also had a major influence on the 
meeting of all targets. The fact that performance targets were not met in 2014 despite lower-
than-planned traffic indicates that more work needs to be done in the second reference period 
(RP2 – 2015-2019). 

3 Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of the single 
sky legislation: time to deliver (COM/2011/0731 final) 
4 Commission Regulation (EU) No 691/2010 of 29 July 2010 

3 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
The European ATM sector remains fragmented and the costs of its services are comparatively 
high.  The  unit  cost  of  air  navigation  services  is  particularly  high,  with  users  pay  around 
EUR 10.5 billion annually (in user charges, delay costs and flight inefficiencies). These high 
costs  result  mainly  from  the  fragmented  service  provision  and  infrastructure,  antiquated 
technology and low productivity in this labour-intensive industry (labour amounts to 63 % of 
costs). 

2.2  A strengthened network – the contribution of the Network Manager 

The  Network  Manager  for  the  EU  ATM  network  made  a  key  contribution  to  operational 
network performance (particularly in the areas of capacity and flight efficiency) from 2012 to 
2014.  The  Network  Manager  function  has  developed  from  a  theoretical  concept  into  a 
successful entity recognised by stakeholders that brings tangible daily performance benefits to 
the EU network and to neighbouring countries. 

The  governance  of  the  Network  Manager  is  industry-led5  and  it  closely  involves    all 
operational stakeholders. The Network Manager contributed directly to curb en route delays 
below the target level in the capacity plans declared by EU member states. The objective was 
met each year of RP1, with a 10.7 % reduction in 2012, 13.7 % in 2013 and 13.3 % in 2014. 
Though  the  average  en  route  delay  was  above  the  target  of  0.5  minutes  per  flight  in  2014, 
delays would certainly have been higher in 2014 (which was also the year air traffic returned 
to growth) without the Network Manager’s contribution.6 

Coordination  at  network  level  reduced  the  effects  of  unexpected  events,  such  as  a  series  of 
strikes  in  2013  and  2014  in  some  Member  States,  especially  in  France,  (responsible  for 
13.6 %  and  13.4 %  of  total  en  route  delays,  respectively,  in  those  years)  which  had  a 
significant negative impact on delays and flight efficiency as aircraft were re-routed to avoid 
the  affected  area.  In  2014,  network  level  coordination  also  limited  the  effects  of  major 
disruptions to the European network resulting from the crises in Ukraine (Russia’s annexation 
of Crimea and the downing of flight MH17), Libya, Syria and Iraq.  

2.3 

Insufficient progress on functional airspace blocks (FABs) 

The nine FABs, which had to be established by 4 December 2012, have now been established. 
However, the FAB operational objectives have not been achieved regarding the optimisation 
of  airspace  and  resources,  which  in  turn  generates  inefficiencies  in  the  entire  European  air 
traffic management system and extra costs of close to €5 billion a year. These costs are passed 
on to airlines and their customers and result in increased journey times, delays and emissions.  
23  Member  States. 
Infringement 

proceedings 

initiated 

against 

been 

have 

The underlying concerns continue to prevail. For many FABs, namely, these are the failure to 
achieve optimised air navigation services in FABs, to have FABs based solely on operational 
requirements  regardless  of  national  borders  and  to  enable  optimum  use  of  the  airspace  in  a 
FAB. 

5 Network Manager activities are governed by the ‘Network Management Board’, which is made up of 
representatives of the operational stakeholders. 
6 Network Manager annual report 2014, p.12 

4 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Since  then,  a  few  Member  States  have  introduced  appropriate  corrective  measures.  Others 
have  put  together  credible  implementation  plans  which  should  deliver  significant  positive 
results in the medium term, e.g. making a clear political commitment to implement advanced 
operational strategies to optimise the use of airspace. A complete resolution of all problems 
does not appear in sight, however. 

3 

Technological modernisation of the SES 

3.1 

Interoperability 

One of the key  objectives  of the SES7  is to  harmonise and  achieve interoperability between 
the systems, constituent parts and associated procedures of the European ATM network, and 
to  ensure  that  new  operational  concepts  or  technology  relating  to  ATM  are  introduced  in  a 
coordinated manner.  

In  2011,  new  interoperability  rules  were  adopted:  two  providing  a  framework  and 
requirements  for  surveillance  performance  and  interoperability,  and  the  other  increasing  the 
available number of voice channel frequencies by reducing the voice channels spacing from 
25 kHz to 8.33 kHz.8 

In  addition,  some  existing  rules  were  updated  by  amending  regulations,  either  to  clarify 
specific provisions or to address any issues with implementation9. 

For the Data Link Regulation, there was a major setback with regard to data communications 
when  the  selected  technical  system  (Data  Link  VDL/2)  demonstrated  serious  performance 
problems, casting  doubts over its usability in the operational environment.  In the short term 
(next  five to  ten  years)  there  is  no  alternative  to  the  technology  itself,  but  the  EASA  report 
and  on-going  studies  at  the  SESAR  Joint  Undertaking  investigate  possible  optimised 
implementation or technical fixes to the issue with VDL/2. Results are expected by mid-June 
2016. 

Promoting  and  safeguarding  the  interoperability  of  the  European  ATM  network  has  proved 
challenging  in  the  multi-stakeholder  ATM  environment,  especially  when  it  comes  to 
implementation.  Overall  programme  management  could  have  been  more  efficient  (as 
illustrated  by  the  Data  Link  case),  a  sound  business  case  has  not  always  been  made  for 
deploying new ATM technologies,10 e.g. as argued by airspace user associations (airlines) in 
the case of the deployment of ADS-B transponders mandated by the SPI Regulation (EU) No 
1207/2011  and  the  relevant  means  of  compliance  were  not  always  available  in  time  to  the 

7 Regulation (EC) No 552/2004. 
8 Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1206/2011 laying down requirements on aircraft identification 
for surveillance for the single European sky; Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1207/2011 laying 
down requirements for the performance and the interoperability of surveillance for the single European sky; 
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1079/2012 laying down requirements for voice channels 
spacing for the single European sky. 

9 The ADQ Regulation (EU) No 73/2010 was amended to taken into account amendments in the referred ICAO 
SARPS (standards and recommendations); VCS Regulation (EU) No 1079/2012 was amended to clarify an 
ambiguous Article. 

10 This is illustrated by the case of ADS-B transponders in the SPI Regulation. 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
operators, as was the case with the EASA Certification Specifications and Acceptable Means 
of Compliance needed for the same ADS-B transponders. 

The  issues  with  the  effectiveness  of  the  SES  interoperability  framework  prompted  the 
Commission, before launching the SESAR programme, to appoint a Deployment Manager to 
monitor,  oversee  and  manage  the  deployment  of  new  ATM  technologies  and  functions  (see 
Section 3.2), and to work more closely with EASA (see Section 4.2) to ensure the necessary 
means of compliance would be available when the new regulations were adopted. 

3.2 

Technological challenge – development and deployment of SESAR 

There  have  been  major  developments  in  the  SESAR  project  since  the  last  reporting  period, 
including  the  transition  from  the  development  to  the  deployment  phase  and  further 
developments in the SESAR partnership. 

The European ATM Master Plan was first updated in 2012 (‘Edition 2’) and is a key tool for 
SESAR development, providing a basis for the timely, coordinated and efficient deployment 
of  new  ATM  technologies  and  operational  procedures.  A  second  review  of  the  European 
ATM Master Plan was launched at the end of 2014 by the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU). 
The final  proposal for the 2015 Master  Plan  update  was delivered by the SJU at the end of 
June  2015  and  is  expected  to  be  approved  by  the  SJU  Administrative  Board  by  the  end  of 
2015.  The  2015  update  aims  to  create  closer  links  between  development  and  deployment 
activities.  It  also  incorporates  the  SESAR  vision  of  achieving  high-performing  aviation  in 
Europe  by  2035  and  the  SESAR  2020  work  programme.  The  SESAR  vision  builds  on 
‘trajectory-based operations’. This means that air navigation services allow aircraft to fly their 
preferred routes without being constrained by airspace configurations. 

In June 2014, the EU extended the duration of the SJU to the end of 2024. This effectively 
extends the SESAR development phase. The EU also allocated an additional budget of EUR 
585 million to the project from the Horizon 2020 programme.11 The purpose of the extension 
was also to renew the SESAR public-private partnership underpinning the Joint Undertaking 
in order to allow the accession of a wider number of stakeholders. It provided the occasion for 
adjusting its priorities through its SESAR 2020 multi-annual work programme. 

In  May  2013,  the  Commission  established  the  SESAR  deployment  framework12  under 
Article 15(a)  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  550/2004.  This  framework  displays  a  three-level 
governance: a policy level, for which the Commission is responsible; a management level, for 
which the Deployment Manager is responsible; and an implementation level within which the 
Commission  selects  implementation  projects  to  carry  out  the  Common  Projects  in  line  with 
the  implementation  programme.  The  framework  provides  for  the  definition  of  Common 
Projects and the establishment of the Deployment Programme’. The first Common Project13 
adopted in June 2014 identifies a first set of ATM functionalities to be deployed in a timely, 
coordinated  and  synchronised  way  so  as  to  achieve  the  essential  operational  changes 
stemming from the European ATM network. 

11 Council Regulation (EU) No 721/2014 
12 Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 409/2013. 
13 Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 716/2014. 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
The Deployment Manager was established in 2014 based on a governance that is industry-led. 
Its most challenging task is developing and implementing the Deployment Programme, which 
should  identify  and  organise  all  implementation  projects  and  initiatives  necessary  for 
implementing the first Common Project, while taking account of the business decisions of the 
operational stakeholders’. 

Around EUR 2.5 billion of EU financial support (from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF)) 
has  been  earmarked  for  SESAR  deployment  for  the  2014-2020  period.  The  Deployment 
Manager has assembled, coordinated and presented an initial group of over 100 proposals for 
implementation  projects  under  the  preliminary  Deployment  Programme.  The  first  call  for 
proposals  for 2014 Connecting  Europe Facility (CEF) funding closed  in March 201514. The 
selection  and  award  process  is  expected  to  be  finalised  in  the  final  quarter  of  2015.  The 
synchronised deployment of SESAR solutions will then begin. 

In order for the first and subsequent Common Projects to be deployed on time, it is essential 
that  the  relevant  standards  and  rules  on  coordination  at  International  Civil  Aviation 
Organization (ICAO) level are established promptly. To this end, a specific European group 
on  standardisation  was  created  in  2014.  It  is  comprised  of  the  European  standardisation 
organisations (CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI), Eurocae, EASA and Eurocontrol. With regard to 
global  interoperability,  the  US  Federal  Aviation  Agency  and  the  Commission  have  made 
substantial progress in their cooperation under the SESAR and NextGen ATM modernisation 
programmes to assess harmonisation in the US.15 Moreover, the SESAR project continues to 
also  attract  attention  in  other  non-EU  states.  The  SJU  and  the  Commission  have  signed 
memoranda of cooperation in the field of ATM with countries such as Singapore, Mexico and 
Japan.  Preliminary  discussions  are  also  taking  place  with  the  United  Arab  Emirates  and 
Central American countries.   

3.3 

Remotely-piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) and cybersecurity 

Remotely-piloted  aircraft  systems  (RPAS)  are  a  new  phenomenon  in  ATM.  Following  a 
consultation on the future of RPAS as conducted by the Commission between 2011 and 2012, 
the European RPAS Steering Group (ERSG) proposed a roadmap for the safe integration of 
civil  RPAS  into  the  European  aviation  system.16  The  aim  is  its  initial  integration  into  that 
system  by  2016.    Subsequent  Commission  initiatives,  (the  Communication  on  "opening  the 
aviation  market  to  civil  use",17  and  the  Riga  Declaration18)  set  out  a  series  of  concrete 
measures, including the possibility of adopting a European regulatory framework covering all 
relevant areas to make the operation of RPAS safe and secure. The Commission is gradually 
implementing these measures, and RPAS-related legislative proposals will form an important 
part of the forthcoming 'Aviation Package'. 

14 Commission Decision C(2014) 1921, OJ C 308, 11.9.2014, p. 5. 
15 NextGen-SESAR State of Harmonisation Document, December 2014: 

http://www.sesarju.eu/sites/default/files/documents/reports/State-of-Harmonisation.pdf?issuusl=ignore 

16 http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/aeronautics/rpas/index_en.htm 
17 http://ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/air/doc/com(2014)207_en.pdf 
18 http://ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/air/news/doc/2015-03-06-drones/2015-03-06-riga-declaration-drones.pdf 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
One of these measures, covering the R&D required to integrate RPAS into civil airspace, has 
been  assigned  to  the  SESAR  Joint  Undertaking  (SJU)  and  is  now  fully  integrated  into  the 
ATM Master Plan 2015 and the SESAR 2020 programme published in 2015. 

On cybersecurity, SES-related activities mainly include R&D. These are aimed at successfully 
integrating  the  "cybersecurity  by  design"  principle  into  the  SESAR  technology  and  systems 
before  they  are  deployed  and  developing  an  appropriate  governance  and  institutional 
framework for the whole EU ATM network.  

4 

Institutional, regulatory and related developments 

4.1 

SES bodies and fora 

Several  SES-related  bodies  have  been  set  up  since  2011  and  are  operating  successfully.  In 
2014,  the  designation  of  the  Performance  Review  Body  (PRB)  has  been  extended  in  time19 
The role of the PRB is to assist the Commission, in coordination with the national supervisory 
authorities  (NSA),  and  to  assist  the  NSAs  on  request  in  the  implementation  of  the 
performance  scheme,  which  includes  inter  alia  performance  targets  for  Member  States. 
Eurocontrol  has  been  appointed  Network  Manager  until  201920  and  has  performed  the 
network  functions  and  coordinated  the  response  to  crisis  situations  (see  Section  2.2).  The 
NSA Coordination Platform (NCP), as a forum for NSAs, contributes to the exchange of best 
practice  and  common  solutions  between  NSAs  on  SES implementation.  The  Industry 
Consultation  Body  (ICB),  established  under  Regulation  (EC)  No  549/2004,  provides  a 
common  opinion  to  the  Commission  on  SES  initiatives  and  legislative  proposals.  Another 
consultation  body  that  reports  to  the  Commission  is  the  Expert  Group  on  the  Social 
Dimension of SES, which remit is being modified and will continue to provide advice to the 
Commission under new terms of reference in 2015, with a sharper focus on the impact of SES 
on human factors. 

For the technical pillar of the SES, the SESAR Joint Undertaking was created in 2007,21 with 
Eurocontrol and the EU as founding members. It was set up to ensure the modernisation of the 
European  ATM  system  by  coordinating  and  concentrating  all  relevant  research  and 
development efforts in the EU. With regard to the deployment phase, the SESAR Deployment 
Manager was appointed by the Commission in 2014. 

4.2  A new task for EASA 

The SESII package extended the competencies of EASA to include ATM and aerodromes.22 
In the first phase (2009-2011), the existing SES Regulations on safety were integrated into the 
EASA  structure.  In  the  second  phase  (2012  onwards),  the  rules  were  supplemented  and 
amended to accommodate a wide-reaching, holistic aviation regulatory framework. The main 
regulatory  standards  adopted  include  ‘Common  requirements  for  air  navigation  service 

19 2014/672/EU 
20 COM(2011) 4130 final 
21 Council Regulation (EC) No 219/2007. 
22 Regulation (EC) No 1108/2009. 

8 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
providers’,23 ‘Safety oversight of air traffic management’,24 ‘Air traffic controller licensing’,25 
‘Automated collision avoidance systems’26 and ‘Standardised European rules of air’.27 

From  2013,  EASA  also  started  to  support  the  Commission  in  its  early  reporting  on  the 
implementation  of  the  SES  (in  accordance  with  Article  12(1)  of  Regulation  (EC) 
No 549/2004).  It  was  also  involved  in  the  activities  of  the  SESAR  Joint  Undertaking  to 
review safety cases and carried out the safety oversight of the Network Manager. 

4.3 

Coordination with the military 

Although SES is geared toward civil aviation and therefore does not cover military operations 
and training,  military organisations do have  considerable interest in  SES and are implicated 
by it to a large extent. From the outset, the military has shown a willingness to support SES as 
much as possible and to be involved in the implementation of its technical pillar, SESAR. The 
main military interests relate, on the one hand, to the need to access the European airspace for 
training and operational purposes without major constraints, in accordance with the principle 
of the ‘Flexible Use of the Airspace (FUA).’28 On the other hand, military organisations are 
seeking to minimise the cost of equipping their fleets to SESAR standards. To this end, 
the  military  are  exploring  the  possibility  to  either  equip  their  fleet  with  SESAR  standard 
solutions or negotiate other "acceptable means of compliance". 

To  better  manage  the  military  community’s  coordination  of  views  relevant  to  SES,  the 
European Defence Agency’s (EDA) Steering Board asked EDA to facilitate the coordination 
of  military  views  on  SES  and  SESAR  deployment.  This  political  step  was  mirrored  by  the 
(Foreign Affairs) Council on 18 May 2015. EDA is coordinating its SES and SESAR-related 
activities  with  NATO  in  order  to  obtain  the  necessary  policy  and  technical  advice. 
Meanwhile,  coordination  with  Eurocontrol  will  provide  EDA  with  technical  support  on 
civil-military ATM interoperability. 

4.4 

SESII+ 

In June 2013, the Commission proposed an update to the SES Regulations, named the SESII+ 
initiative,29  to  further  develop  some  changes  brought  in  by  the  2009  SESII  package  and 
update other aspects to take account of technical progress. The proposal also includes changes 
which,  if  adopted,  would  make  the  existing  rules  more  performance-based  as  well  as 
introduce  certain  limited  market  measures  (i.e.  proposing  the  separation  and  tendering  of 
some support services) 

In  addition  to  eliminating  any  overlapping  areas  and  finalising  of  a  number  of  SESII 
arrangements, the SESII+ proposal includes the following major policy areas: 

23 Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1035/2011 on requirements for air navigation service 
providers. 
24 Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1034/2011 on safety oversight in air traffic management. 
25 Regulations (EU) Nos 805/2011 and 340/2015 on air traffic control licencing. 
26 Regulation (EU) No 1332/2011 on an automated system for airborne collision avoidance. 
27 Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 923/2012 laying down the common rules of the air. 
28 Regulation (EC) No 2150/2005 laying down common rules for the flexible use of airspace. 
29 http://ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/air/single_european_sky/ses_2_en.htm 

9 

 
 
                                                 
  Strengthening  the  independence  of  national  supervisory  authorities  (NSAs)  through 
increased separation and independence from the air navigation service providers (ANSPs) 
and  reinforcing  the  role  of  the  PRB  to  make  it  fully  independent  from  all  stakeholders 
subject to the performance scheme, including Eurocontrol; 

 

 

increasing 
the  efficiency  of  support  services  (e.g.  communication,  navigation, 
information)  through  separation  and  market  opening  to  stimulate  innovation  and  create 
new business opportunities; 

focusing ANSPs on customer needs through improving their  governance to ensure  better 
consultation and by enabling airspace users to play a part in signing off ANSP investment 
plans; 

  Making  the  Functional  Airspace  Blocks  (FABs)  a  more    performance-oriented  and 
flexible  tool,  based  on  industrial  partnerships,  to  achieve  the  SES  performance  targets; 
and 

 

reinforcing the role of the Network Manager through gradual extension and introduction 
of an industry-led governance system. 

The European Parliament delivered its first reading position in March 2014 and the Council 
agreed  its  general  approach  in  December  2014.  The  next  stage  is  for  the  proposal  to  be 
debated in trilogue discussions (informal meetings between the European Parliament, Council 
and the Commission). Delays in adoption are due to the political dispute between Spain and 
the United Kingdom over Gibraltar. 

5 

The pan-European and global perspective 

5.1 

The contribution of Eurocontrol to SES 

As EU legislation evolved so as to include, for example, rules on charging and performance 
review  and  air  traffic  flow  management,  Eurocontrol  has  gradually  begun  performing  tasks 
under SES legislation. 

From 2010, the organisation has been allocated three major tasks: 
 

providing  technical  support  to  the  Commission  and  EASA  to  help  them  implement 
regulatory measures; 
acting as a Performance Review Body to help the Commission develop and implement 
the performance scheme; and 
acting as Network Manager for ATM network functions. 

 

 

Eurocontrol  also  plays  an  important  role  in  the  SESAR  Joint  Undertaking’s  activities  as, 
along with the EU, it has been a founding member of the organisation since 2007. 

While the SES policy framework is growing, there is increasing overlap between the roles of 
the EU (and EU bodies) and Eurocontrol (e.g. with regard to policy, regulatory matters, safety 
and  support  to  States.  To  provide  a  general  framework  for  cooperation,  the  EU  and 
Eurocontrol  concluded  a  High  Level  Agreement,30  which  recognises  the  contribution  that 
each  organisation  makes  to  European  ATM.  In  particular,  the  respective  roles  of  the  EU  as 

30 Council Decision (2013/36/EU) of 29 October 2012 on the signing, on behalf of the Union, and provisional 
application of the Agreement providing a general framework for enhanced cooperation between the European 
Union and the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation 

10 

 
 
                                                 
single pan-European regulator and that of Eurocontrol in providing technical support to help 
achieve SES policy objectives were reaffirmed in the agreement. 

In 2013, Eurocontrol members decided to start a process of modernisation and reform of the 
organisation in order to adapt to the changing ATM environment in Europe. Depending on the 
outcome,  such  an  adaptation  may  yield  considerable  benefits  and,  having  regard  to  the  EU 
governance and rules in the areas concerned, would enable Eurocontrol to continue enhancing 
technical and operational support to SES activities in the future.  

5.2 

Relations with non-EU countries 

Agreements with third countries such as the the European Common Aviation Area (ECAA) 
Agreement with Norway, Iceland and Western Balkan states31,  the Common Aviation Area 
Agreements  signed  with  Georgia  and  Moldova  and  the  Euro-Mediterranean  Aviation 
Agreements  signed with Morocco, Jordan and Israel make possible their gradual integration 
into  SES  initiatives.  Some  other  countries  without  aviation  agreements  are  also  involved  in 
the work of the Network Manager e.g. Turkey. 

The objective of the above-mentioned arrangements is to bring performance improvements to 
all countries involved and to perfect the de-fragmentation of European airspace. 

Cooperative arrangements at operational level with ANSPs from key partners of the EU (the 
US,  Canada,  Brazil,  China,  Japan,  ASEAN  countries,  Australia…)  will  be  promoted  by  the 
Commission as a significant part of tasks of the Network Manager in order to manage better 
intercontinental  traffic  to/from  the  EU  and  improve  the  performance  of  the  European  ATM 
network.   

5.3 

Relations with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) 

The Commission’s cooperation with ICAO on ATM is very important, especially in relation 
to global ATM interoperability. ICAO adopted the Global Air Navigation Plan at its 12th Air 
Navigation  Conference  in  November  2012.  The  Commission  has  committed  itself  to 
supporting  ICAO  in  implementing  the  plan  and  the  Aviation  System  Block  Upgrades 
(ASBUs) included in it. To this end, the Commission takes the necessary steps when it comes 
to contributing to the work of ICAO, including as regards the coordination with other relevant 
European  (non-EU)  bodies  and  organisations.  Moreover,  as  regards  the  setting  of  rules,  the 
Commission strives to achieve, where appropriate, synchronisation with ICAO provisions in 
support of a global ATM standardisation roadmap advocated by ICAO. 

6 

Economic and social impact of the SES 

During  the  three-year  period  2012-2014,  there  were  no  major  developments  in  the  ATM 
sector from the economic and social viewpoints. The structure of this industry remained stable 
consisting of national service providers operating 63 air traffic control centres and employing 
57.000 professionals,  including  16.700 air  traffic controllers. Over the period  airspace  users 

31 Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo 

11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
paid around EUR 19 billion in air navigation charges. Depending on the type of airline, these 
charges  represent  between  6  and  10%  of  the  airline's  operating  costs.  These  are  significant 
costs  that  are  ultimately  borne  by  passengers  and  the  call  of  airspace  users  to  improve 
efficiency has been relentless.  

The pressure exerted by the performance scheme in RP1 resulted in an important reduction of 
en  route  costs  compared  to  the  initial  plans.  Over  the  2012-2014  period,  the  total  actual  en 
route costs were  -940.2 M€2009 lower than planned, also in response to lower than expected 
traffic  levels.  Most  of  these  cost  reductions  were  realized  within  air  navigation  service 
providers (-801.5 M€2009), with savings in staff costs of -388.2 M€2009, depreciation costs of -
243.8 M€2009 and other operating costs of -243.8 M€2009. Since charges are set on the basis of 
planned costs, these cost reductions would allow air navigation service providers to retain or 
even increase their ex-ante surplus to an overall actual average return on equity of 10.7%. In 
turn, airspace users would have to pay 1.1 EUR billion more than planned over the 2012-2014 
period as result of adjustment mechanisms related in particular to the traffic risk sharing, costs 
exempt for cost sharing and the variation of exchange and inflation rates. 

Social  conditions  and  employment  have  been  improving  for  air  transport  sector  employees 
over the last years, including for ATM. However industrial action continues to take place in 
the  ATM  sector,  in  particular  in  France,  while  in  other  countries  the  social  peace  has  been 
constantly  guaranteed  through  a  constructive  employer-employee  dialogue.  Even  a  small-
scale  strike  led  to  major  disruption  in  the  network,  causing  massive  flight  delays, 
inefficiencies, with secondary impacts on business and the environment. 

The  Single  European  Sky  has  positively  impacted  ATM  over  the  past  years  from  an 
environmental perspective. This was mainly the result of the SESAR project. In fact, SESAR 
technology  and  operational  improvements  enables  more  direct  flight  paths  and  smooth 
descent  and  climbing.  In  this  context,  a  major  operational  achievement  was  the  start  of  the 
implementation of free routing in upper airspace allowing more direct routes, cost saving and 
reduction in CO2 emissions. 

7 

SES vision and future challenges 

The  Commission  aims  to  support  the  development  of  the  European  aviation  industry  by 
increasing  its  competitiveness,  maintaining  high  standards  and  investing  in  innovation.  The 
full  implementation  of  SES  and  its  different  elements  should  continue  to  play  a  key  role  in 
achieving this objective. 

Technology is likely to be the main driver in the development of the SES over the next two 
decades. However, this depends on the more efficient organisation of air navigation services 
on the basis of industrial partnerships and the introduction of further measures to reduce the 
fragmentation  of  European  airspace.  Industry  should  play  a  more  effective  role  in  the 
deployment  of  network-focused  solutions,  and  common  and  virtual  services.  The  global 
dimension  of  ATM  also  needs  to  be  considered  in  order  to  optimise  the  performance  of 
aircraft operations. 

Strengthened  social  dialogue  will  be  essential  for  ensuring  efficient  change  management 
affecting human resources within the ATM sector, limiting industrial action. 

Regulatory  stability,  meaning  consistent  and  timely  implementation  of  EU  regulations,  and 
effective regulatory market intervention are needed if monopolistic conditions persist among 

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ANSPs.  Regulations  should  be  developed  following  an  approach  based  on  a  risk-  and 
cost/benefit  analysis,  with  the  European  ATM  sector  subject  to  independent  economic  and 
performance  regulation  that  will  continue  to  evolve,  thus  limiting  state  interference  and 
adapting to the progress in market developments. 

As  regards  the  immediate  next  steps,  action  in  the  years  2015-2019  should  focus  on  fully 
implementing SESII successfully and, starting to implement SESII+ once adopted, which is in 
the hands of the co-legislators. Continued investment in the SESAR project will help to bring 
about  major  improvements  in  the  way  the  ATM  system  works  in  Europe.  All  stakeholders 
must  continue  to  contribute  to  meeting  targets  relating  to  the  key  performance  indicators 
(safety, cost-efficiency, capacity and environmental sustainability). 

Furthermore,  the  SES  should  contribute  to  tackling  new  and  existing  challenges  relating  to 
looming airport capacity crunch, the integration of RPAS into non-segregated airspace and the 
resilience of the ATM sector to cyber-attacks. 

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