Objective of the Organization: To develop a pan-European Air Traffic Management (ATM) system by coordinating the activities of all aviation stakeholders in Europe. In this context, the Organization’s main areas of activity are the establishment and development of the pan-European ATM network, supporting the preparation and regulation of civil aviation rules throughout Europe, developing measures to meet future air traffic needs through the analysis of those needs, providing training for personnel in air traffic services, conducting studies and experiments related to air navigation, analyzing the results of studies carried out by Member States, providing air traffic control services for the Central European region, and collecting air navigation charges on behalf of Member States.
Date of Establishment: The Convention establishing the Organization was signed in 1960 and entered into force upon ratification in 1963.	Headquarters: Brussels	Director-General: Raúl Medina Caballero (Spain) (January 2023 – present)

Member States

The Organization has 42 Member States across the pan-European area, namely: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus.

In 2016, Morocco and Israel signed comprehensive agreements with EUROCONTROL and participate in the sessions of the Provisional Council and the Permanent Commission as observers.

Türkiye’s Membership Status

Pursuant to Law No. 3504 dated 02.12.1988, Türkiye joined the Organization as its 10th member on 1 March 1989.

European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation – EUROCONTROL

Historical Background about EUROCONTROL

The origins of the Organization date back to the first convention on the safety of air navigation signed in 1919, following the First World War, when international cooperation acquired a new dimension. This understanding later laid the foundation for the establishment of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 1944 and EUROCONTROL in 1960. During this process, the idea of European integration, which formed the basis of the European Union, was also an important factor in the establishment of EUROCONTROL. The Convention establishing the Organization was signed on 13 December 1960 by six Western European countries (Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) and entered into force following ratification in 1963.

The Convention establishing the Organization was first adapted in 1981. From 1986 onwards, the Organization began cooperating with the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC). From 1993 onwards, it also started work towards the establishment of the “Single European Sky”, which constitutes the founding philosophy of EUROCONTROL. Cooperation with the European Union in this field also began during those years. Meanwhile, the Convention establishing the Organization was revised again in 1997.

The Organization faced the risk of losing importance and seeing its sphere of competence reduced when the European Union established the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), responsible for aviation services and air navigation safety, in 2002. Following EASA’s achievement of full functionality in 2009, the issue of the division of responsibilities between the two organizations in the ATM field became increasingly apparent. Consequently, EUROCONTROL entered a transformation process beginning in 2010. The essence of this process, which aims to transform the Organization into an institutional structure suited to contemporary conditions and to reduce its workforce, consists of restructuring, cost control and the regulation of relations with the European Union. In addition, the transformation seeks to ensure the contribution of civil aviation stakeholders to EUROCONTROL decisions. The transformation process has not yet been completed.

The most significant activity within the framework of the transformation is the signing of the High-Level Cooperation Agreement (HLA) to regulate relations between the European Union and EUROCONTROL. At the conclusion of the transformation process, the Convention establishing EUROCONTROL is expected to be revised again.

Structure of EUROCONTROL

EUROCONTROL consists of three main bodies: the Permanent Commission, the Provisional Council and the Agency.

1. Permanent Commission: The Commission, in which Member States are represented at ministerial level, is the ultimate decision-making body that determines EUROCONTROL’s overall policy. Nevertheless, except in extraordinary circumstances, meetings of the Permanent Commission are not held.

2. Provisional Council (PC): The PC, in which Member States are represented by their Directors General of Civil Aviation, is responsible for preparing the work of the Permanent Commission, implementing EUROCONTROL’s general policy and supervising the work of the Agency. The PC meets twice a year (in June and November), except for extraordinary meetings, and military representatives as well as representatives of European Union institutions also participate in its meetings. In accordance with EUROCONTROL’s structure, advisory groups operating in different areas of expertise are attached to the PC. These are the Performance Review Commission, the Civil/Military Cooperation Committee, the Finance Committee, the Air Navigation Services Board, the Military ATM Board, the Pension Fund Supervisory Board, the Maastricht Coordination Group and the Audit Board.

3. Agency: Managed by the Director General, the Agency consists of the Director General’s Cabinet, Advisory Units, the Resources and Agency Services Directorate, the European Green Sky Directorate, the Maastricht Control Centre, the Network Management Directorate, the Central Route Charges Office, the Finance Directorate and the Civil-Military Cooperation Division.

Türkiye-EUROCONTROL relations

Türkiye is an important member of the Organization due to the fact that its airspace lies on the main axes of international traffic and that it possesses an advanced technical and legal infrastructure compared to many countries. In this context, while further developing its relations with EASA, Türkiye also attaches importance to preserving EUROCONTROL’s pan-European role and preventing any erosion thereof.

In 1994, Türkiye assumed the positions of Chair and Vice-Chair of the Permanent Commission, the Organization’s final decision-making body represented at ministerial level. Furthermore, having served as Chair of the EUROCONTROL Provisional Council for the 2014–2015 period, Türkiye was unanimously re-elected to this position at the Council meeting held in Brussels on 8 December 2015. This role was maintained until 2017. On the other hand, Türkiye has on numerous occasions been represented in the past, and continues to be represented today, in the special committees whose members are elected and which provide advisory services to the Provisional Council, the body responsible for determining and supervising the Agency’s working principles.

Some of the active roles currently undertaken by Türkiye within EUROCONTROL are listed below:

• At the 62nd meeting of the Provisional Council held on 28 November 2024, elections were conducted for two Vice-Chair positions for 2025 and two Vice-Chair positions for the 2025–2026 period, and Türkiye’s candidate was elected Vice-Chair for the 2025–2026 period.
• In addition to the Provisional Council Presidium Bureau (PCPB), where the Organization’s strategic decisions are formulated, there is another body where preliminary decisions are determined and monitoring is carried out, and Türkiye participates in this body upon invitation by the Secretariat.
• A representative from Türkiye is assigned to the Country Liaison Offices established within EUROCONTROL.
• Following the decision by the European Union to designate EUROCONTROL as Network Manager for a period of ten years, Türkiye also began to be represented at meetings of the Network Management Board (NMB).
• Representatives of Türkiye actively participate in meetings of the EUROCONTROL Civil-Military Stakeholder Committee (CMSC).
• A representative of Türkiye serves on the EUROCONTROL Pension Fund Supervisory Board (PFSB).
• Within the framework of the Support to States Programme, in accordance with the agreement between EUROCONTROL and Türkiye, EUROCONTROL services in the field of air navigation are effectively implemented in Türkiye, and support is provided to aviation personnel in Türkiye by EUROCONTROL expert staff in areas where assistance is required. In addition, numerous joint projects are carried out between EUROCONTROL and Türkiye, and many workshops and seminars are organized.