GATE ONE underlines the vital importance for more involvement in the European ATM reform

GATE ONE members underscore that a level playing field and well balanced governance structures are to be created for all stakeholders including small and medium size air navigation service providers from Central and Eastern Europe during the current fundamental changes of the European ATM domain - such as the acceleration of the Single European Sky (SES) programme and the EUROCONTROL institutional reform.

GATE ONE, a strategic alliance of 11 national air navigation service providers (ANSPs) covering the entire airspace of the three Central and Eastern European functional airspace blocks (Baltic FAB, Danube FAB and FAB CE) met on 15 May 2014 in Budapest, Hungary.

Seven of GATE ONE members, namely ANS/CR, BHANSA, BULATSA, HUNGAROCONTROL, LPS, ROMATSA and SLOVENIACONTROL (the four remaining GO members have already secured their participation in the bidding consortium via prior arrangements) expressed their serious concerns about the arbitrary limitation of any realistic possibilities for the future direct involvement of the small and medium size Central and Eastern European ANSPs in the governance structures of SESAR DM. It is a firm belief of this representative group that the principle of equal opportunity to participate in the SESAR DM management structures must be legally and practically guaranteed.

GATE ONE members perceive ever more urgently a strong need for a better-balanced, more representative and effective voice of CANSO EUROPE, the ANSPs’ advocacy member organisation with its office in Brussels, in the rapidly changing European ATM environment. The complexities of this critical issue were discussed in an open spirit with CANSO Director for European Affairs who kindly accepted the invitation on behalf of GO members to the meeting in Budapest