Considerations on COM(2023)67 - EU position on the amending Annex 16, Volumes I-III to the Chicago Convention, concerning Standards and Recommended Practices relating to environmental protection

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This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.

 
 
(1) The Convention on International Civil Aviation (‘the Chicago Convention’), which regulates international air transport, entered into force on 4 April 1947. It established the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

(2) All Member States are Contracting States of the Chicago Convention and members of the ICAO, whereas the Union has observer status in certain ICAO bodies.

(3) Pursuant to Article 54 of the Chicago Convention, the ICAO Council may adopt International Standards and Recommended Practices.

(4) The International Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) on Environmental Protection have been adopted as Annex 16 to the Chicago Convention by the ICAO Council, in Volumes I-IV.

(5) The ICAO Council, during its 228th Session to be held on 13 ‒ 31 March, is to adopt a number of amendments to Annex 16, Volumes I to III of the Chicago Convention.

(6) It is appropriate to establish the position to be taken on the Union's behalf in the ICAO Council as the proposed amendments have legal effect, given that they are binding under international law and are capable of decisively influencing the content of Union law, namely Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 and Commission Regulation (EU) No 748/2012.  

(7) The position to be taken on the Union’s behalf should be to support the amendments to Volumes I to III.

(8) The Union's position should be expressed by the Member States of the Union that are members of the ICAO Council, acting jointly on behalf of the Union.

(9) The Union’s position after the adoption of amendments to Annex 16, Volume I-III to the Chicago Convention by the ICAO Council, to be announced by the ICAO Secretary General via an ICAO State Letter procedure, should be not to register disapproval and to notify compliance with those measures. Where Union legislation would deviate from the newly adopted SARPs after an envisaged date of application of those SARPs, a difference with those particular SARPs should be notified to ICAO.