Piotr Samson, the President of the Civil Aviation Authority, has been elected as the Chair of the Management Board of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) – one of the most important agencies in the world responsible for safety in civil aviation. The election of a Pole expresses appreciation for the Polish international activity and Poland’s engagement in the development and increase of civil aviation safety.
“The election of the President of the CAA to the position of the EASA Management Board Chair proves that Poland belongs to the first league. We gain trust and credibility of our partners and the national experts are valued by international bodies. I am satisfied that the State policy in the area of civil aviation carried out consistently gives results which bodes well for the development of huge infrastructure investments in Poland”, Marcin Horała, the Government’s Plenipotentiary for the Solidarity Transport Hub Poland and the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Infrastructure, said.
The President of the CAA has been unanimously elected to the position of the Chair during a Management Board session in Cologne. He will replace Mr. Pekka Henttu – the Head of the Finnish civil aviation authority. Piotr Samson will remain the President of the CAA.
”It is not only a huge success for Poland and a motivation to continue our previous work but also an encouragement to continue the work for aviation. Poland is a mature aviation market and our specialists are highly valued experts”, Mr. Samson, the President of the CAA, said.
Moreover, Samson stressed that the European market is developing quickly. New technologies arise, such as the unmanned aircraft systems, which means that both the Polish CAA and EASA will have to face new challenges.
The Chair of the EASA Management Board participates in the most important initiatives of the EU civil aviation. He represents the Management Board members in the most important aviation events around the world. He manages the work of the EASA Management Board which, among others, provides advice to the EASA Executive Director in the area of aviation safety, adopts the EASA budget, the European Aviation Safety Plan or the annual report on the agency’s activities which is submitted to the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission and the Court of Auditors.
“Poland is a responsible and engaged partner, playing a significant role in the Agency. I am convinced that the next four-year term under the chairmanship of Mr. Samson will be fruitful”, Patrick Ky the Executive Director of EASA said.
The competences of EASA include the most important areas related to the civil aviation safety such as: flight operations, drones, airports and air navigation. Its tasks cover:
• developing implementing rules in areas related to aviation safety,
• supervising and supporting member states in areas in which EASA has joint competences,
• cooperating with international entities for the increase of the global aviation safety level.