Press release

NATO and EUROCONTROL strengthen collaboration to master current and future challenges for civil and military aviation in European airspace

We will work closer together to enhance flight efficiency, airspace capacity and military mission effectiveness.

Brussels, Belgium – Mr Camille Grand, Assistant Secretary General for Defence Investment of NATO and Mr Eamonn Brennan, Director General of EUROCONTROL want to intensify the collaboration between NATO and EUROCONTROL to master current and future challenges for civil and military aviation.

Today they agreed to work closer together to enhance flight efficiency, airspace capacity and military mission effectiveness, while having due regard on a proper balance between economic needs and security and defence requirements.

Amongst others, a major challenge is facilitating the ever-growing civil traffic and mitigating its resulting delay situation, while at the same time accommodating new military airspace needs stemming from 5th generation fighter aircraft entering into service, rapid military air mobility across Europe and military HALE/MALE RPAS operations.

In addition, ATM security is facing new threats emerging from an increased need for data-exchange and automation, which can be best mitigated in a joint civil-military approach, as applied in NEASCOG (NATO-EUROCONTROL ATM Security Coordination Group).

Building on the Memorandum of Cooperation signed between NATO and EUROCONTROL in 2003 and the related practical working arrangements agreed in 2014, Camille Grand and Eamonn Brennan consider civil-military cooperation as a key enabler to master the aviation challenges, especially by enhancing Flexible Use of Airspace and civil-military ATM/CNS interoperability.

Mr Camille Grand, Assistant Secretary General for Defence Investment at NATO said: “The Alliance is committed to taking further steps to strengthen its shared security and boost defence and deterrence against threats from any direction. NATO continues to work hard in seeking opportunities to improve our ability to deploy troops quickly throughout the Alliance.  Increasing our speed of reaction is critical to reinforcing the credibility of our posture. The partnership between NATO and EUROCONTROL is vital and productive in delivering real-time measures to enable us to ensure Rapid Air Mobility by removing constraints on the routine and priority handling of NATO aircraft. Our strong relationship has led to significant changes to the procedures in place for Allied aircraft, directly resulting in tangible improvements to the speed, and ultimately effectiveness with which we can deliver air effect.”

“With growing civil air traffic, putting pressure on limited airspace in Europe, heightened security issues and instability in some regions on our borders, it is increasingly important for civil and military users to work together to ensure that we make safe and efficient use of airspace, our common resource,” said Eamonn Brennan, Director General of EUROCONTROL. “This partnership between NATO and EUROCONTROL closely coordinated with the EU and its institutions will make the skies safer, more secure and its use more efficient and punctual for everyone.”

For further information please contact:

NATO
Matthias Eichenlaub
Press Officer
Email: [email protected]

EUROCONTROL
Kyla Evans
Head of Corporate Communications,
Email: [email protected]

Note to editors

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization - NATO - is an intergovernmental military alliance between 29 North American and European countries who work together to safeguard the freedom and security of their nearly one billion citizens.

EUROCONTROL supports European aviation by working closely with its partners to develop a seamless, pan-European air traffic management (ATM) system that fully copes with the growth in air traffic, while maintaining a high level of safety, reducing costs and respecting the environment. EUROCONTROL works closely with EU institutions and provides technical support to the European Commission for the implementation of the Single European Sky. EUROCONTROL has 41 Member States: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Republic of North Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and also has Comprehensive Agreements with the Kingdom of Morocco and the State of Israel. 

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