Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1771 of 12 September 2023 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373 as regards air traffic management and air navigation services systems and constituents and repealing Regulations (EC) No 1032/2006, (EC) No 633/2007 and (EC) No 262/2009

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2018 on common rules in the field of civil aviation and establishing a European Union Aviation Safety Agency, and amending Regulations (EC) No 2111/2005, (EC) No 1008/2008, (EU) No 996/2010, (EU) No 376/2014 and Directives 2014/30/EU and 2014/53/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Regulations (EC) (EC) No 552/2004 and No 216/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (EEC) No 3922/91 (1), and in particular Article 43(1), points (a), (e) and (f), Article 44(1), point (a), and Article 62(15), points (a) and (c) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) In accordance with Article 140(2) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139, the implementing rules adopted on the basis of the repealed Regulation (EC) No 552/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2) are to be adapted to the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139, not later than 12 September 2023.

(2) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373 (3) lays down common requirements for the provision of air traffic management and air navigation services (‘ATM/ANS’) and other air traffic management network functions (‘ATM network functions’) for general air traffic and their oversight.

(3) In accordance with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1769 (4), ATM/ANS systems and ATM/ANS constituents (‘ATM/ANS equipment’) are subject to certification or declaration by organisations involved in the design and production of ATM/ANS equipment. To ensure the appropriate installation, on-site testing and safe entry into service of such equipment, and their oversight, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373 should be amended to include the necessary requirements applicable to ATM/ANS providers and competent authorities thereof.

(4) In order to ensure the continuity of the requirements for the use of ATM/ANS equipment the amendments to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373 should be based on the relevant implementing rules adopted on the basis of the repealed Regulation (EC) No 552/2004 with necessary adaptations.

(5) In particular, Commission Regulation (EC) No 1032/2006 (5) lays down requirements for automatic systems for the exchange of flight data for the purpose of notification, coordination and transfer of flights between air traffic control units; Commission Regulation (EC) No 633/2007 (6) lays down requirements for the application of a flight message transfer protocol used for the purpose of notification, coordination and transfer of flights between air traffic control units, and Commission Regulation (EC) No 262/2009 (7) lays down requirements for the coordinated allocation and use of Mode S interrogator codes for the Single European Sky (SES). Those requirements should be reflected in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373.

(6) Requirements related to air-ground communications using 8,33 kHz channel spacing that are set out in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1079/2012 (8) do not apply to services provided neither in the Single European Sky airspace outside the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) European (EUR) region as defined in the European (EUR) Air Navigation Plan Volume I (Doc 7754) of ICAO nor in the Canarias FIR/UIR because their local conditions did not sufficiently justify their applicability as necessary. This Regulation should provide for the same scope of applicability.

(7) Article 14(2) of Implementing Regulation 1079/2012 provided for exemptions from the obligation to convert all frequency assignments to 8,33 kHz channel spacing. This Regulation should not alter the existing exemptions.

(8) Requirements related to the allocation of Mode S interrogator codes that are set out in Commission Regulation (EC) No 262/2009 do not apply to services provided in the Single European Sky airspace outside the ICAO EUR region due to its local low traffic volume and geographic situation with airspace borders only with airspace under the responsibility of a third-country ATM/ANS providers, which justifies different local coordination arrangements with surrounding non-EU States. This Regulation should provide for the same scope of applicability.

(9) Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373 should therefore be amended accordingly and Regulations (EC) No 1032/2006, (EC) No 633/2007 and (EC) No 262/2009 should be repealed.

(10) The development of requirements in this Regulation have taken due account of the content of the ATM Master Plan and the communication, navigation and surveillance capabilities contained in it.

(11) The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has proposed measures in its Opinion No 01/2023 (9) in accordance with Articles 75(2), points (b) and (c), and Article 76(1) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139.

(12) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the committee established in accordance with Article 127 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139.

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Amendments to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373

Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373 is amended as follows:

(2) in Article 3, the following paragraph 6a is inserted: ‘6a.   Member States shall ensure that the use of a ground-based transmitter operated in their territory does not produce harmful interference on other surveillance systems.’

(4) Annexes I, II, III, IV, VIII, IX, X and XII are amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

Repeal

Regulations (EC) No 1032/2006, (EC) No 633/2007 and (EC) No 262/2009 are repealed.

Article 3

Entry into force

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 12 September 2023.

For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN

(1) OJ L 212, 22.08.2018, p. 1

(2) Regulation (EC) No 552/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 March 2004 on the interoperability of the European Air Traffic Management network (the interoperability Regulation) (OJ L 96, 31.3.2004, p. 26).

(3) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373 of 1 March 2017 laying down common requirements for providers of air traffic management/air navigation services and other air traffic management network functions and their oversight, repealing Regulation (EC) No 482/2008, Implementing Regulations (EU) No 1034/2011, (EU) No 1035/2011 and (EU) 2016/1377 and amending Regulation (EU) No 677/2011 (OJ L 62, 8.3.2017, p. 1).

(4) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1769 of 12 September 2023 laying down technical requirements and administrative procedures for the approval of organisations involved in the design or production of air traffic management/air navigation services systems and constituents and amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/203 (see page 19 of this Official Journal).

(5) Commission Regulation (EC) No 1032/2006 of 6 July 2006 laying down requirements for automatic systems for the exchange of flight data for the purpose of notification, coordination and transfer of flights between air traffic control units (OJ L 186, 7.7.2006, p. 27).

(6) Commission Regulation (EC) No 633/2007 of 7 June 2007 laying down requirements for the application of a flight message transfer protocol used for the purpose of notification, coordination and transfer of flights between air traffic control units (OJ L 146, 8.6.2007, p. 7).

(7) Commission Regulation (EC) No 262/2009 of 30 March 2009 laying down requirements for the coordinated allocation and use of Mode S interrogator codes for the single European sky (OJ L 84, 31.3.2009, p. 20).

(8) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1079/2012 of 16 November 2012 laying down requirements for voice channels spacing for the single European sky (OJ L 320, 17.11.2012, p. 14).

(9) https://www.easa.europa.eu/document-library/opinions