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2.  GENERAL ORGANISATION OF THE JAA

2.1   Membership

1. Membership is open to States who are members of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), which currently has 38 member countries, and the JAA are an "associated body" of ECAC. Membership takes effect when the 1990 "Arrangements" are signed. There are thirty-three member countries in the JAA today - see Figure 1.
2. "Two-Phase" membership of the JAA
   The JAA has a two-phase membership system. The present procedure, developed from the text of the Arrangements, starts with discussions with a "candidate" authority at the JAA HQ leading, after a satisfactory conclusion, to a report to the JAAC Chairman. The state can then formally apply to the Chairman of the JAA Board for membership, indicating its willingness to commit itself to the terms and commitments in the Arrangements. The JAA Committee also submits its report to the JAA Board and, subject to a two-thirds majority vote, the new State can sign the Arrangements. At this stage the country will become a "Candidate Member State" and will have access to meetings, etc, but:
1. no voting rights, and
2. no right or obligation to automatic recognition of the approvals issued by its own authority or those of other states.

In phase 2, after signature, JAA Headquarters arranges a visit to the authority by a JAA Committee/Headquarters fact-finding team. A report is prepared and sent to the JAAC Chairman and, when considered satisfactory, to the JAA Board recommending a date for full membership. If deemed necessary by the fact-finding team, the JAA standardisation team visits will be arranged. This process could, for some countries, be very prolonged. It is felt, however, that such a process is essential to safeguard the high standards and credibility of the JAA.

At present there are 20 full members and 13 candidate members of the JAA (see Figure 1 for candidate members marked with an asterix).

2.2   Structure of the JAA

The present structure of the JAA (see Figure 2) was developed in the late Eighties. The JAA is run by the JAA Committee (JAAC) which is comprised of one member from each Member State - generally the person responsible for all the safety regulatory functions covered by JAA in each authority. Day-to-day matters are decided by the Executive Board, which has six members selected from members of the JAA Committee by a system arranged to ensure that the three countries who pay the largest contributions (France, Germany and the United Kingdom) are included in the membership. Broad policy decisions and final approval of the budget are decided by the JAA Board which comprises the Directors General of Civil Aviation of the JAA Member States. There is also a Foundation Board which is responsible for the affairs of the Stichting Beheer (a Dutch "Foundation") which formally handles the business management role for the JAA Headquarters; this Foundation has no involvement in JAA technical policy.

The Headquarters staff (see Figure 3) is headed by a Secretary-General and has six divisions - certification, regulation, maintenance, operations, licensing, and resources and development.

In December 1999 a modified structure for the JAA was agreed called the "Agenda for Change". When this new structure will be fully implemented during 2001, a number of changes will have been introduced (see Figure 4). Whilst the tasks of JAAC and JAAB will not change considerably, both will aim to work closely together as the Governing Body. The Headquarters will be transformed into The Executive and will be headed by a Chief Executive.

The Executive will have more tasks to perform in the JAA system and to streamline and improve the rulemaking and implementation process. The existing Committees, chaired by a representative from one of the member Authorities, will be re-named: Sectorial Teams and will be chaired by the respective Director of the Executive.

2.3   JAA HQ Staff

In 2000 there were 53 staff members appointed at HQ. The HQ budget was ECU 5.1 million in 2000 and is planned to rise to around Euro 5.3 million in 2001.

2.4   Funding of JAA HQ

At present JAA is funded by national contributions (80%), plus income from the sale of publications and training (20%). National contributions are based on indices related to the size of each country's aviation industry (ICAO contributions and AECMA contributions). The "largest" countries (France, Germany, the United Kingdom) pay around 18% and the smallest around 0.6% of the budget. All countries pay a minimum of 0.5% of the budget to cover "basic" costs of membership, plus their contribution to the remainder of the costs according to the ICAO/AECMA formula.

2.5   International Co-ordination

The international promotion of the JAA system and its regulations has a two-fold aim, namely improvements of the safety level of aircraft flying into the European airspace and that of the European public travelling in other parts of the world. At present, JAA HQ is widening the scope of its activities and provide information and advice for major international co-operation programs through participation in Advisory Panels and Steering Committees.

Priority is given to the preparation of the full membership of JAA Candidate Member Countries.

A permanent link is kept with the European Commission and ICAO. Contacts and co-operation have been established not only with the U.S. FAA (see Harmonisation) but also with the Interstate Aviation Committee of the C.I.S., the Chinese CAAC and other major countries or group of countries in the field of Aviation Safety (A.C.S.A. - Agencia Centroamericana de Seguridad Aeronautica, AFCAC - African Civil Aviation Conference, COSCAP - Co-operative Development of Operational Safety and Continuing Airworthiness - South and South East Asia...for example).

2.6   Harmonisation

In 1992, the JAA and the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States (FAA) made a commitment to harmonise, where appropriate, to the maximum extent possible, the FAR and JAR requirements and associated material regarding:

Airworthiness requirements for small aeroplanes (JAR/FAR-23): for small rotorcraft (JAR/FAR-27): for large rotorcraft (JAR/FAR 29) have achieved a high level of harmonisation.

Airworthiness requirements for large aeroplanes (JAR/FAR-25) should be technically harmonised in 2000 following the implementation of a JAR/FAR-25 Better Plan for Harmonisation.

Harmonisation of airworthiness requirements for engines (JAR-E/FAR-33) will stop in 2000 however some significant differences will remain.

Capitalising in the harmonisation exercise of airworthiness codes, a joint rulemaking activity will start to maintain harmonisation.

2.7   Multidisciplinary issues

The JAR-MMEL/MEL (Master Minimum Equipment List/Minimum Equipment List) has been adopted in December 1999.

A key feature of JARs is organisation approval requirements. An ad-hoc group has been set up in 1999 to improve consistency to such requirement and to recommend future improvements of the JAA organisation approval requirements (Notably the possibility to introduce Safety Management Systems).

2.8   Safety programme

2.8.1   JSSI

Early 1998 the JAA agreed to launch the JAA Safety Strategy Initiative (JSSI). The purpose of JSSI is to develop a focused safety agenda to achieve the JAA aim for safety which reads:" The JAA aims at continuous improvement of its effective safety system leading to further reductions of the annual number of accidents and the annual number of fatalities irrespective of the growth of air traffic".

JSSI involves Authorities and Interested Parties. This co-operation is fundamental to achieve the aim for safety.

Two approaches are being used to develop the focused agenda:

The two approaches are complementary.

Co-operation with other bodies (ICAO; EUROCONTROL; US CAST (Commercial Aviation Safety Team)) is essential to achieve a world wide safety agenda and to avoid duplication of efforts.

With CAST the co-operation until now can be summed up as follows: CAST takes the lead for the "Historic Approach", JSSI takes the lead for the Future Hazards.

JSSI is also developing a safety communication policy to address public perception.

JSSI is a key activity for Europe and resources are critical to its success.

2.8.2   SAFA

Actions have been continued under the SAFA (Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft) programme launched in 1996 and which consists in performing Ramp Inspections of operators flying to and from any ECAC States. The JAA developed procedures, Ramp Inspectors handbooks and an on line database available through the JAA intranet which allows all ECAC members to access inspection reports from all States involved in the programme.The database from which an analysis is made and subsequent actions taken, currently contains more than 7000 inspection reports on operators all over the world, and is expected to grow by around 3000 a year. Also training of the inspectors who are performing the ramp checks will be provided from the second half of 2000 by the JAA in the EASTI (European Aviation Safety Training Institute) in Brussels.

2.9   Co-operation with other organisations

2.9.1   EU

Close contacts continue to be maintained with the European Commission with a view to assisting in the transposition of JAA requirements into EU legislation and, accordingly, in making them legally binding on the fifteen EU member States. Current work aims and is well in progress at achieving introduction of JAR OPS, JAR 21 and JAR FCL in EU Regulation 3922/91.

2.9.2   ECAC

JAA has been heavily involved in ECAC's Integration Programme by providing courses (Maintenance, Operation, Licensing) for more than 150 trainees from 12 countries per year in the Headquarters. Two-days workshops in the same field are now being launched in the recipient countries.

2.9.3   EUROCONTROL

Co-operation with EUROCONTROL is fundamental for efficient implementation of the European ATM program.

Examples of such co-operation are RVSM (Reduced Vertical Separation Minima); ACAS (Airborne Collision Avoidance Systems); 8.33 khz radio equipment.

Steps are being taken to make draft JAR-11 (JAA regulatory and related procedures) and the EUROCONTROL NPRM (Notice of Proposed Rulemaking) fully compatible.

JAA is closely co-operating with the Safety Regulation Commission of EUROCONTROL since this body has been established in 1998. JAA is observer in this Commission and both, the EUROCONTROL Agency and the Safety Regulation Commission are joining appropriate bodies of JAA.

To take into account the EUROCONTROL revised Convention, the Agreement of co-operation signed in 1996 will need to be revised.