EU-China agreement on civil aviation safety

SUMMARY OF:

Agreement on civil aviation safety between the EU and China

Decision (EU) 2020/1075 — conclusion of the agreement on civil aviation safety between the EU and China

Decision (EU) 2018/1153 — signing on behalf of the EU of the agreement on civil aviation safety between the EU and China

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE AGREEMENT AND THE DECISIONS?

The agreement aims to avoid unnecessary duplication in the evaluation and certification of civil aeronautical products thereby reducing costs for the aviation sector, promoting aviation safety and environmental compatibility and facilitating access to one another’s aeronautical markets.
Decision (EU) 2018/1153 authorises the signing of the agreement by the EU.
Decision (EU) 2020/1075 concludes the agreement on behalf of the EU.

KEY POINTS

Scope

The agreement may cover a number of areas of cooperation, including:

airworthiness certificates and monitoring of civil aeronautical products*;
environmental testing and certificates of civil aeronautical products;
the certification and monitoring of design and production organisations;
the certification and monitoring of maintenance organisations;
personnel licensing and training;
operation of aircraft;
air traffic services and air traffic management.

General obligations

The EU and China will accept findings of compliance and certificates issued by the authorities of the other party, as specified in the annex on airworthiness and environmental certification to the agreement.
Unless specified, the agreement does not entail reciprocal acceptance or recognition of the other party’s standards or technical regulations.
The respective civil aviation authorities, the European Aviation Safety Agency (see summary) and the Civil Aviation Administration of China, will facilitate the implementation of the annex.

Cooperation

The 2 parties agree to cooperate in a number of ways, including:

informing one another of all relevant laws, regulations, standards and requirements, as well as their respective systems for issuing certificates, and revisions thereof;
allowing one another to participate as observers to investigate and resolve safety issues;
exchanging safety information;
cooperating and assisting in investigation and enforcement procedures.

Joint committee

The effective functioning of the agreement is overseen by a joint committee comprised of representatives of both parties meeting regularly.

DATE OF ENTRY INTO FORCE

The agreement entered into force on 1 September 2020.

BACKGROUND

The agreement is one of the concrete goals of the EU aviation strategy — see summary.

For more information, see:

External aviation policy (European Commission).

KEY TERMS

Civil aeronautical product: any civil aircraft, aircraft engine, or aircraft propeller or sub‐assembly, appliance, or part, installed or to be installed thereon.

MAIN DOCUMENTS

Agreement on civil aviation safety between the European Union and the Government of the People’s Republic of China (OJ L 240, 24.7.2020, pp. 4-23)

Council Decision (EU) 2020/1075 of 26 June 2020 on the conclusion of the Agreement on civil aviation safety between the European Union and the Government of the People’s Republic of China (OJ L 240, 24.7.2020, pp. 1-3)

Council Decision (EU) 2018/1153 of 26 June 2018 on the signing on behalf of the Union of the Agreement on civil aviation safety between the European Union and the Government of the People’s Republic of China (OJ L 210, 21.8.2018, p. 2)