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Whilst the negotiations and agreements between employee and employer are the responsibility of Company Councils, and the National Board is responsible ensuring pilot views are heard at the national level; neither is capable of influencing European decision makers and legislators alone. Consequently, in 1991 the European Cockpit Association was formed by the Pilot Associations from across the continent. Only through a combined European Organisation is our voice listened to at European level.

Why is it important, though? Many pilot members of our national member associations yawn when the dreaded Euro word is said! It is important because...

  • pilot licences are now JAA or EASA licences;
  • airlines now flying to standards set by the Europe wide "EU-OPS" regulation;
  • airline route structures (and therefore the number and location of the jobs) are controlled by either the internal EU liberalisation of 1993/97 or the subsequent air transport agreements, such as the EU-US Open Skies stage 1;
  • the ability of pilot Company Councils to represent all the flight crew employed by an airline (irrespective of where in Europe they are based), in order to avoid the 'divide and rule' management tactic, is now subject to European legislation ...

... so it could be argued that ECA is currently the most important part of the pilot representational structure!

During this last year, ECA – together with our Member Associations - has

  • coordinated the submission of a large number of expert pilot comments on the latest EASA-FCL and OPS proposals, which will become THE standard in every EU Country;
  • successfully argued for a scientifically based review of the current EU FTL proposals (sub part Q);
  • organised an action day across 20+ countries of the EU to demand the full implementation of EASA's own scientific review of pilot fatigue rules;
  • succeeded in including the most far reaching social clauses in the EU-US Open Skies stage 1 agreement;
  • used those clauses to provoke two EU Commission hosted, trans-Atlantic conferences focussed on the effects on employees of unbalanced liberalisation;
  • provided guidance and coordination to ensure representation in a number of European wide airlines.

This is just a small selection of our activities and achievements...