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Ladies and Getlemen,

The year 2013 is behind us. For the Civil Aviation Authority of the Republic of Poland it was a special year - a year full of activities of the CAA in the national and international grounds. It can also be called a watershed year which resulted in the first ever selection of Polish Representative to the Council of ICAO. Poland thus took over the presidency of the Central European Rotation Group for three-year cadency. CAA's involvement in the development of global civil aviation has been increasing. In 2013, at the initiative of the CAA in Warsaw has been organized for the first time in Poland workshop on "Just Culture" and the training co-organized by the ECAC and IATA on IOSA and ISAGO Safety Audit Programs, which were attended by international experts and representatives of airports and international aviation organizations. Furthermore an important event was an international conference in the field of air and space law in Gdansk, in which took part the experts from international organizations and agencies: ICAO, ECAC, IATA, EASA and EUROCONTROL. 2013 was also the year of successes of Polish sportsmen who have won the great number of medals.

Entrance in the New Year is a time to summarize, therefore, we present the most important activities of the CAA and events in the field of civil aviation in the past year. New year means new challenges which will face the aviation industry, as well as the Civil Aviation Authority. Last year has shown that with the appropriate commitment these challenges can be faced which allows us to be optimistic about the future. By working together, we can be assured that the aviation industry will continue to develop. I wish all our clients and supporters of the aviation industry a Happy New Year.

On 12 December the 141th Meeting of Directors General of Civil Aviation was held in Paris. The participants were the Directors Generals from ECAC Member States. The meeting was attended by President of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Republic of Poland – Mr. Piotr Ołowski. At the opening of the Meeting, Director General of ACI World – Ms. Angela Gittensaddress Directors General on challenges facing airports and seized this opportunity to give a presentation of the ACI-World APEX (AirportExcellence in Safety) Programme. The Programme provides assistance for ACI members to improve their level of safety and compliance with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices.

On 11 December 2013, the 6th European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) Forum – The Economics of Airports was held in Paris. The conference was attended by ECAC Directors General of Civil Aviation, representatives of European airports and aviation organizations, among others - ACI Europe and ACI World and representatives of the European Commission and EUROCONTROL. The meeting was attended by Mr. Piotr Ołowski - President of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Republic of Poland.

Form 9 to10 December 2013 in Cologne a meeting of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Management Board was held. The Republic of Poland was represented by the President of the Civil Aviation Authority - Mr. Piotr Ołowski.

On the first day of the meeting the members of the Panel commissioned at the end of 2012 by the EASA Management Board under Article 62 of Regulation (EC) No. 216/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council presented their independent, external evaluation Report in accordance with the requirements of that Regulation.  The evaluation shall examine how effectively the Agency is fulfilling its mission. It shall also assess the impact of this Regulation, the Agency and its working practices in establishing a high level of civil aviation safety. The evaluation shall take into account the views of stakeholders at both European and national level.

On 9 December, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has published guidelines that extend the ability to use personal electronic devices (PED) such as tablets, smartphones, e-book readers, MP3 players during all phases of flight. Devices should remain in the so-called "Airplane" or “Offline" mode. Each airline will be able to follow the guidelines and change their rules and policy.

From 18 to 29 November 2013, the council phase of 200th Session of the International Civil Aviation Organization Council was held in Montreal. It was the last meeting of the Council under the Chairmanship of Roberto Kobeh González, who held the office continuously since 1 January, 2006. The Session was attended by Poland’s Permanent Representative on the Council of ICAO - Dr. Małgorzata Polkowska who actively participated in the Council’s work and several times made an intervention.

Between 3 and 4 December, 2013 in Budapest was held a meeting of the Visegrad Group (V4) in the field of civil aviation. On the second day of the meeting the Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the countries of the Group, which includes Republic of Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovak Republic. Countries were represented by Aviation Authorities delegations, including the Polish delegation of Civil Aviation Authority.

Polish pilots from the beginning of aviation have been showing their skills and talents for flying. Poland celebrates annually an Aviation Day on August 28. This day commemorates the anniversary of the victory of pilots Cpt. Franciszek Żwirko and Stanisław Wigura in the International Tourist Plane Competition organized by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), which took place in Berlin in 1932. More than 80 years after those unforgettable events – Polish sportsmen and sportswomen continue to prove that they are worthy the Wigura and Zwirko’s heritage. Thanks to them - Poles can proudly say that in the aviation we are the best in the world. Polish sportsmen are members of the Polish Aero Club, which is affiliated with other national aero clubs in the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Only in 2013, Polish pilots won 62 medals: 22 gold, 17 silver and 23 bronze ones.

On 29 November 2013 the last meeting of 200th Session of ICAO Council was held in Montreal. It was the last meeting of the Council under the Chairmanship of President Roberto Kobeh González, who held the office continuously since January 1, 2006. The new President of the ICAO Council under Council Members’ decision will be Dr. Benard Olumuyiwa Aliu of Nigeria. After the meeting of the Council the Farewell reception took place. Dr. Małgorzata Polkowska and other Permanent Representatives of the Council congratulated and thanked Mr. Roberto Kobeh González for his long and successful work for the Organization and development of international civil aviation.