Abstract
This chapter investigates the direct shared enforcement of the EU civil aviation safety rules by focussing on the interplay between the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the National Aviation Authorities (NAAs) in France and Germany. While direct enforcement in the aviation safety area follows a subsidiarity logic, a truly shared enforcement system built upon the concept of joint oversight and enforcement is revealed, whereby EASA and NAAs cooperate closely. Conversely, accountability for direct enforcement is separated along EU and national lines, and is entrenched within the general system of political and judicial accountability of the EU and the Member States. Whereas, the lack of (specific) accountability mechanisms accounting for the sharedness of enforcement in the EU aviation safety area seems problematic, potential accountability gaps could be compensated by existing alternative internal and external review instruments, and the quest for more accountability should be regarded cautiously.Keywords: continuing airworthiness; EASA; European Aviation Safety Agency; EU civil aviation safety system; EU Ramp Inspection Programme; joint oversight and enforcement; political and judicial accountability mechanisms
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Law Enforcement by EU Authorities |
| Subtitle of host publication | Implications for Political and Judicial Accountability |
| Editors | Miroslava Scholten, Michiel Luchtman |
| Publisher | Edward Elgar Publishing |
| Pages | 115-140 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978 1 78643 462 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |