On the 16th July, the new European laws come into force to regulate amongst other technical requirements the safety levels of pilot fatigue. Luxembourg in 1995 introduced for the first time in its aviation history a law to limit the flight and duty times of professional pilots operating aircraft registered in the Grand Duchy, the Règlement grand-ducal du 18 mars 1995. Today the new EU regulations will harmonise the minimum level of safety across Europe however these new regulations are deficient in several areas. These "Black Holes" could encourage member states to derogate and lower current safety levels. The European Parliament has acknowledged this and has provided each EU member state guidance permitting them to maintain their laws where the new EU regulation is incomplete additionally asking them to maintain local laws which are superior. The ALPL has monitored the execution of the new EU Regulation since it was voted on in Strasbourg in July 2006 and accepted by the Council of Ministers in December 2006. Today ALPL, after 18 months since this new EU Regulation was adopted, is waiting to see if the Luxembourg government will respect what was debated and voted on in Strasbourg to ensure that no derogation occurs during the implementation of the new EU law. ALPL is committed to flight safety for professional pilots in Luxembourg and will continue to monitor the correct implementation of this and new laws governing the safety of the travelling public. Download ALPL Press Release (PDF)