Lobbying by European Cockpit Association

European Cockpit Association

ECA

The European Cockpit Association represents professional pilots across Europe, advocating for aviation safety and workers' rights in the air transport sector.

Focus Areas

2015-2025

Links

Website Transparency Register Profile

ID: 39838147687-59

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Carlos Bermejo Acosta (Head of Unit Mobility and Transport)

1 Sept 2025 · The issue of unruly passengers

Meeting with Christine Berg (Head of Unit Mobility and Transport)

6 May 2025 · Exchange of views on : 1) EASA: enhancing the Agency’s role as a safety authority 2) Performance-based safety regulations vs. prescriptive rules 3) Fatigue risk management 4) Socio-economic factors’ impact on safety 5) Reduced Crew Operations

Meeting with Magda Kopczynska (Director-General Mobility and Transport)

22 Apr 2025 · Flight simulator session with ECA

Meeting with Jan-Christoph Oetjen (Member of the European Parliament)

13 Jan 2025 · General exchange on current aviation topics

Meeting with Rosa Serrano Sierra (Member of the European Parliament) and Fastned BV

20 Nov 2024 · Priorities for European Commission 2024-2029

Meeting with Johan Danielsson (Member of the European Parliament)

20 Nov 2024 · Deltagande på panelsamtal om prioriteringar och trender inom flygsektorn

Meeting with Alicia Homs Ginel (Member of the European Parliament)

20 Nov 2024 · Condiciones de trabajo en el sector de la aviación civil

Meeting with Merja Kyllönen (Member of the European Parliament)

16 Oct 2024 · Piloting Safety

Meeting with Estelle Ceulemans (Member of the European Parliament, Committee chair)

15 Oct 2024 · Dossier EMPL à venir

Meeting with Johan Danielsson (Member of the European Parliament)

15 Oct 2024 · Arbetsvillkoren i flygsektorn

Meeting with Marc Angel (Member of the European Parliament)

15 Oct 2024 · Worker's rights in aviation sector

Meeting with Magda Kopczynska (Director-General Mobility and Transport)

20 Dec 2023 · - Revision of Regulation 1008/2008 - Pilots fatigue - Cooperation with EASA

Meeting with Isabel García Muñoz (Member of the European Parliament)

21 Jun 2023 · Social aspects aviation

Meeting with Rachel Smit (Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean), Walter Goetz (Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean)

11 Jan 2023 · 1008/2008 revision

Meeting with Adina-Ioana Vălean (Commissioner) and

8 Sept 2022 · Aviation

Meeting with Ciarán Cuffe (Member of the European Parliament)

5 Sept 2022 · Airline pilots' working conditions and related EU issues

Meeting with Walter Goetz (Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean)

1 Sept 2022 · Aviation

Meeting with Adina-Ioana Vălean (Commissioner) and

13 Jul 2022 · Aviation Dialogue

European Cockpit Association urges EU to tackle social dumping

6 Dec 2021

Topic — A revision of the EU rules governing the provision of air services.

Message — The association requests a clear definition of operational bases to ensure pilots are protected by local labor laws. They also call for stricter oversight of wet-leasing and complex hiring practices involving third-country intermediaries.1 2

Why — This would secure better working conditions for pilots and end costly legal jurisdictional disputes.3

Impact — Low-cost carriers using atypical employment models would lose their ability to bypass social obligations.4

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Response to Revision of the Energy Tax Directive

18 Nov 2021

The European Cockpit Association (ECA) is the representative body of European pilots associations, striving for the highest levels of aviation safety and fostering social rights and quality employment for pilots in Europe. It represents 40.000 pilots from across Europe. More information at www.eurocockpit.be ECA agree that tax on jet fuels might send a clear pricing signal to airlines and consumers which is why we see the advantages that the revision and the proposed discontinuation of the exemption of jet fuels from the Energy Taxation Directive could bring if certain conditions are met. The pilots’ community has the following considerations to share: 1. The discontinuation of jet fuels exemption from the ETD will generate additional revenues. We strongly endorse that these revenues be ring-fenced to subsidise research, development and implementation of SAF’s in a transparent and accountable manner, in view of accelerating aviation decarbonisation which is estimated to require very massive investments. 2. The introduction of an EU-wide tax on jet fuels might bring the desired effect in terms of positively adjusting the consumers’ behaviour. In line with the ‘polluter pays’ principle, the costs should be carried by air travellers and not by the aviation personnel. In this context, ECA would like to stress that the introduction of an EU-wide jet fuel tax should not have negative social impacts on aviation workers (including the European pilots) who are the aviation industry’s front-liners and might therefore be most exposed to such harmful developments. The increased costs for airlines which will translate into an even fiercer competition on the EU air transport market must not lead to a deterioration of aviation workers’ rights and working conditions. 3. In the context of fair competition among the different modes of transport, ECA strongly advocates for aviation-specific measures complementing RED which would enable an effective transition from fossil fuels to SAF in air transport. A preferential rate for SAF under the ETD revision proposal might prove to be a sensible tool to incentivise a broader SAF uptake across the EU. However, this can only be achieved if operators have access to sufficient volumes of SAF. A level playing field among the different modes of transport must be ensured for biofuels, and electro-fuels should be prioritised for aviation.

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Response to ReFuelEU Aviation - Sustainable Aviation Fuels

18 Nov 2021

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Meeting with Isabel García Muñoz (Member of the European Parliament)

13 Jul 2021 · Social aspect of aviation

Meeting with Gaëlle Michelier (Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean), Pablo Fabregas Martinez (Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean), Walter Goetz (Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean)

5 Feb 2021 · Meeting to discuss the social aspects of the SSMS.

Meeting with Gaëlle Michelier (Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean), Pablo Fabregas Martinez (Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean)

6 Jan 2021 · Meeting to discuss the latest developments in aviation.

Meeting with Joost Korte (Director-General Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) and European Transport Workers' Federation and

16 Dec 2020 · aviation roundtable report

Meeting with Henrik Hololei (Director-General Mobility and Transport) and European Transport Workers' Federation and

26 Nov 2020 · Aviation Roundtable Report

Meeting with Nicolas Schmit (Commissioner) and

23 Sept 2020 · Videoconference meeting on the working conditions of pilots.

Response to Revision of the EU Emission Trading System Directive concerning aviation

28 Aug 2020

ECA is the representative body of European pilot associations, representing 40.000 pilots from across Europe. More info about ECA at www.eurocockpit.be. ECA supports a gradual reduction of the ETS allowances allocated for free to airlines and strongly urges that the additional revenues generated be earmarked to contribute to actively promote the development of SAF, and more specifically the 'electro-fuels' which are at an early stage of industrialisation. Subventions to reduce the price of SAF would be an efficient way to stimulate their development. With regards to bringing together EU ETS and CORSIA, ECA stresses that any option which is finally chosen should be based on bringing CORSIA's level of ambition and effectiveness up to that of EU ETS, and should not create unfair competition or ‘double up’ the emissions accounting burden of EU airlines compared to global competitors without equivalent measures being applied.

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Meeting with Gaëlle Michelier (Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean), Pablo Fabregas Martinez (Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean)

14 Jul 2020 · Air transport

Meeting with Joost Korte (Director-General Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion)

25 Jun 2020 · impact of the crisis on pilots employment

Meeting with Gaëlle Michelier (Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean), Walter Goetz (Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean)

17 Jun 2020 · Aviation recovery from COVID crisis

Response to ReFuelEU Aviation - Sustainable Aviation Fuels

21 Apr 2020

ECA is the representative body of European pilot associations, representing 40.000 pilots from across Europe. More info about ECA at www.eurocockpit.be. ECA fully supports a common European policy to incentivise and use Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) for the mid- to long-term. SAF will contribute to mitigate the aviation sector’s impact on climate change and is a necessity to diversify the primary sources of energy used in aviation. In particular a hard requirement for the substantial replacement of existing fossil-fuel derived jet fuel by synthetic, or ‘electro-fuels’, is a fundamental pre-requisite for aviation to play its part in any credible climate plan by 2050. The simulation presented during early March workshop demonstrated that achieving 50% of SAF by 2050 will be a huge challenge (a mix with 5% bio-fuels and 45% synthetic or ‘electro-fuels’). This would require roughly 25% of the current electricity production in Europe, and that would have to be very low or zero-carbon emissions! The EC needs to give clear objectives on the mix of jet fuels to be achieved not only by 2050 but also by 2025 and 2030, by when the most promising technologies in electro-fuels will have to be actively promoted and supported. Missing to clearly define these initial objectives will distort the investments and hold back the development of electro-fuels simply because the industry is much more advanced presently in bio-fuel technologies. Yet, we know that biofuels will play only a minor role in any successful mix in 2050 (max 5%). The EU may lose another decade and a leadership role if the required funding and investments are not made early in very low-carbon electro-fuels facilities. All SAF developments should only be promoted under clear sustainability criteria that include GHG emissions reduction on a life cycle basis, induced land-use consequences, contributions to local social and economic development, water and food management. In particular, a combination of manufacturing near to end-use markets and/or low carbon distribution infrastructure will be necessary. Further measures, including flight operational changes, to ensure reduction in PM, NOx and contrails should also be considered.

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Meeting with Gaëlle Michelier (Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean), Pablo Fabregas Martinez (Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean)

15 Apr 2020 · Transport

Meeting with Adina-Ioana Vălean (Commissioner) and

4 Feb 2020 · Aviation, exchange views on upcoming challenges & mutual priorities

Meeting with Adina-Ioana Vălean (Commissioner) and

4 Feb 2020 · Aviation

Meeting with Henrik Hololei (Director-General Mobility and Transport)

18 Nov 2019 · aviation

Meeting with Violeta Bulc (Commissioner) and

21 Nov 2018 · Meeting on Working conditions in aviation

Meeting with Marianne Thyssen (Commissioner) and European Transport Workers' Federation

21 Nov 2018 · Working conditions in aviation

Meeting with Joshua Salsby (Cabinet of Commissioner Violeta Bulc) and European Transport Workers' Federation

9 Jul 2018 · Aviation- social aspects

European pilot union demands stricter airline establishment rules

22 Mar 2018

Topic — Revision of EU rules governing airline licensing, leasing, and market operations.

Message — The group calls for clear rules for secondary operational bases. They demand strict limits on third-country aircraft leasing. They want to protect quality aviation jobs and social rights.1 2

Why — Strict regulations would protect European pilot jobs and prevent social dumping.3 4

Impact — Airlines seeking low-cost third-country leasing would face higher compliance expenses.5 6

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Response to Review of ENISA Regulation and laying down a EU ICT security certification and labelling

17 Nov 2017

The European Cockpit Association (ECA) was created in 1991 and is the representative body of European pilots at European Union (EU) level. It represents over 38,000 European pilots from the National pilot Associations in 37 European states. In addition, ECA has 2 Associate Members from outside the European region. ECA would like, hereby, to express its views and – to some extent – its concerns about the proposal. ECA is of the opinion that the implications of some of the Regulation’s provisions need to be carefully assessed, in particular with regards to the following three issues: 1. Certification. The proposal envisions the Agency to set up certification schemes, according to which IT solution providers will be able to certify their products as being 'cyber secure'. This certification will not be mandatory, unless otherwise specified in Union law. EASA might require this in future for aviation safety critical systems. The point ECA would like to caution about is the way the certification is acquired: each and every Member State can appoint organisations that are allowed to certify on the basis of the schemes set up by the Agency. The certificate will then be valid throughout the EU. ECA’s concerns in this respect are twofold: (a) ‘Certificate shopping’: the manufacturer can select the organisation where the chances to acquire the certificate are the highest. This will put a certain commercial pressure on the certifying organisations to provide a certificate, since, if they fail to do so, their business will be negatively affected. (b) Subsidiarity: the proposal seems to be at odds with the sovereignty of Member States, as they will have to endorse certificates issued in other Member States, even when the certifying organisations they have appointed themselves nationally would have denied that certificate. As far as civil aviation is concerned, the proposal limits the possibilities of Member States to adopt 'more stringent measures'. 2. Capacity building. ENISA will be required to setup Information Sharing Analysis Centre (ISAC) at EU level, also for aviation. ISACs worked well so far because the participants joined on a voluntary basis and contributed with information on the basis of mutual trust. The European Aviation ISAC has been struggling for many years now in order to become effective; broadening the group too much and/or giving to ENISA a leading role on ISAC may not be helpful, especially in terms of exchange of sensitive/restricted information. 3. Operational cooperation. The Agency will contribute to the CSIRT's network in different ways. Under Article 7.4.c ENISA will be analysing vulnerabilities, artefacts and incidents. The NIS Directive did not require Member States to share this information so far, and since ENISA doesn't collect incident data itself, it is indeed not clear how the activities envisaged under this article will materialise, unless mandatory sharing of information is considered.

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Meeting with Marianne Thyssen (Commissioner) and European Transport Workers' Federation

18 Jul 2017 · Social dimension of aviation

Meeting with Henrik Hololei (Director-General Mobility and Transport)

22 May 2017 · Social agenda in aviation

Meeting with Henrik Hololei (Director-General Mobility and Transport)

7 Sept 2016 · NAI, NAUK

Meeting with Violeta Bulc (Commissioner) and

2 Jun 2016 · European sectoral social dialogue committee for Civil Aviation (SSDC)

Meeting with Henrik Hololei (Director-General Mobility and Transport)

19 Jan 2016 · Board meeting, aviation safety strategy, aviation policy

Meeting with Joshua Salsby (Cabinet of Commissioner Violeta Bulc)

21 Oct 2015 · Aviation

Meeting with Violeta Bulc (Commissioner) and

20 Apr 2015 · Meeting between European Cockpit Association and Commissioner Bulc

Meeting with Violeta Bulc (Commissioner) and

20 Apr 2015 · European Cockpit Association

Meeting with Marjeta Jager (Cabinet of Commissioner Violeta Bulc)

18 Mar 2015 · European Cockpit Association (ECA)