Aviation Agencies of the European Union

The European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC)

The European Civil Aviation Conference is an inde­pendent body of 42 Member States that is closely integrated with ICAO, as anticipated by Article 55 (a) of the Chicago Convention. ECAC was founded in 1955 at the behest of the fledgling European Council to be to the pan-European states what ICAO is to the entire world. As ECAC has matured over the period of one-half century, its functions have been expanded, and it has become the only Europe-wide organization with the membership and expertise capable of responding to the complex needs of the European air transport industry.

ECAC’s stated objectives include the pro­motion of continued development of a safe, effi­cient, and sustainable European air transport system that seeks to harmonize civil aviation pol­icies and practices among its member states and the major industrialized countries of the world. It has become the essential forum for discussions of every major civil aviation topic and regularly conducts seminars and international symposia on various issues. It concerns itself with the envi­ronment, noise, accident investigation, security, immigration, certification, airport policy, and land-use management.

ECAC works closely with the European Commission in aviation affairs and is funded by the European Council. The aviation safety responsibilities of ECAC are currently carried out by the Joint Aviation Authorities and by its successor organization, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).