Civil aviation: common rules, European Aviation Safety Agency

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Commission Regulation 488/2005/EC on the fees and charges levied by the European Aviation Safety Agency.

CONTENT: This Regulation relates to the fees and charges levied by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in return for the services it provides, including the supply of equipment.  It determines the cases when fees and charges referred to in Regulation 1592/2002/EC should be paid, the level of the fees and charges and how they should be paid.

Fees and charges may only be expressed in euros. 

The fees levied by the Agency should not jeopardise the competitiveness of the European industries concerned. Furthermore, they should be established on a basis which takes due account of the ability of small undertakings to pay. Moreover, the geographical location of the undertakings in the territories of the Member States should not be a discriminatory factor.

The applicant should be informed, as far as possible, of the foreseeable amount to be paid for the service which will be provided and the way in which payment must be made before provision of the service starts. The criteria for determining the amount to be paid should be clear, uniform and public. Where it is impossible to determine this amount in advance, the applicant should be informed accordingly before provision of the service starts. In such a case, clear rules for assessing the amount to be paid during the provision of the service should be agreed before it is provided.

The amount of the fees to be paid by the applicant should depend on the complexity of the task carried out by the Agency and the workload involved.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 02/04/2005.

DATE OF APPLICATION: 01/06/2005.