La Fédération congolaise des droits de l’homme et de développement (FCDHD) a dénoncé un cas de viol présumé commis par un médecin sur une patiente de 18 ans, à l’hôpital central de Boma, dans la province du Kongo-Central. Les faits se seraient produits jeudi dernier, alors que la jeune femme consultait pour un malaise.
Un mouvement massif de population a été observé dans la soirée du mardi 1er juillet vers le site de déplacés de Roe dans le territoire de Djugu, à la suite d'une attaque menée par des miliciens de la CODECO contre une position des FARDC à Blukwa-Ruu, localité située à proximité ( Ituri).
Passengers boarding planes in Europe today enjoy the benefits of deregulated and integrated air transport network – thanks to the creation of the EU single market in air services in the 1990s. But the EU aviation policy did not stop at regional borders. Having been repeatedly dismissed in the past, the European Commission now conducts a fully-fledged EU External Aviation Policy (EAP), complete with formal strategies, institutions and legal frameworks.
This shift is striking, because, to this day, international aviation remains a system dominated by sovereign nation states. The EU lacks formal legal status within the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the main forum for discussing global air transport, and cannot sit at the table as a full member. Yet somehow, it is widely perceived as a key player in this policy domain.
How is this possible?
This blog post reflects on the evolving role of the European Union as a sui generis actor in global aviation governance, drawing on my doctoral research presented at the 2025 UACES Graduate Forum in Athens. It explores how the EU has created and expanded the EAP, not through treaty reform or a one-time transfer of power , but by using a mixture of legal assertiveness, technical expertise, regulatory entrepreneurship, and narrative-building to firmly anchor itself within the international aviation system.
Achieving a foothold
Historically, international aviation has been dominated by state-to-state arrangements under the 1944 Chicago Convention. In this Chicago-bilateral system, sovereignty is paramount, and states are reluctant to allow changes.
Following the U.S. deregulation, the European Community established a common internal aviation policy. However, when it comes to relations with non-EU countries, Member States have successfully blocked any transfer of power to the European level.
This began to change in 2002, when the European Court of Justice ruled on European Court of Justice decision on the “Open Skies” Agreements cases. While the ruling did not grant the Commission exclusive competence, it did provide partial recognition over certain technical areas and deemed = nationality clauses in bilateral Air Service Agreements (ASAs) to be incompatible with EU law.
Crucially, the Commission seized this narrow legal opening and used it as a springboard for broader international engagement.
Complex and ongoing construction
Although 2002 is often considered as the formal beginning of the EAP, the development of this policy does not tell a story of clear legal handover or the Commission’s sudden empowerment. Rather, it is a case of strategic manoeuvring and the effective bypassing of legal constraints – a decades-long process that is yet to conclude.
Taking a closer look reveals that it unfolds through four interconnected areas of action.
The first and most prominent pillar is aimed at expanding legal competencies in practice. Despite Member States retaining control and only granting the Commission a negotiating mandate on a case-by-case basis, with defined guidelines, the EU has steadily built a significant portfolio of successful ASAs. It has also developed accompanying legal instruments, such as Bilateral Agreements on Civil Aviation Safety (BASAs) and various Working Arrangements covering technical matters, while also expanding the thematic scope of these agreements to include issues such as environmental protection and social standards.
Alongside these legal actions, the Commission has invested heavily in building technical expertise. They have drawn on experience from internal market deregulation, and have established thematic directorates and staffed technical teams. The EASA also played a role here acting as specialized agency that collects data on safety (and later, environmental protection) and as a body that certifies third-country operators and oversees compliance with EU standards.
Regulatory activity has also become a tool for establishing global presence. The Commission leveraged their legislative initiative to introduce rules that extend beyond EU borders, either through the conditionality of access to the EU market, regulatory convergence, or the broader ‘Brussels effect’. This also provided an opportunity to engage further with third countries at an operational level through audits and assistance schemes. The Commission also seeks to actively support ICAO’s regulatory efforts, thus solidifying the EU presence in the network.
Finally, we can observe EU efforts to gain external recognition through its relationships with incumbent sectoral organizations at a regional and global levels. The strategies employed vary depending on the context.
Regionally, the EU has gradually eclipsed the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) as the regional forum for discussing aviation issues in Europe, and vehicle for coordinating the positions among European states ahead of global negotiations. It has also positioned itself as a central player in relation to EUROCONTROL, to the point where the organisation is sometimes mistaken for an EU agency – despite being a separate body with a broader European membership of 43 states.
Meanwhile, at a global level, unable to achieve full membership in ICAO, the EU still built a daily (hybrid) presence through its own representative office in Montréal. They play an active role at the technical and preparatory levels, providing data and expertise; and engage in technical cooperation, conducting supervision, and supporting international projects.
Political persistence
What this story also reveals is a sustained political determination that has endured over time, particularly within the European Commission. Despite changes in leadership, the agenda has remained quite consistent. EU officials have shown remarkable persistence, and while political resistance and legal ambiguity still exist, the Commission has succeeded in establishing a role for the EU that far exceeds its formal powers. This makes the EAP a valuable case study in how the EU exercises agency under constraints and how it shapes international governance, even without a formal seat at the table.
The post Navigating Change: The EU’s Emerging Role in Global Aviation Governance appeared first on Ideas on Europe.
Le mercredi 2 juillet 2025, la République démocratique du Congo a célébré le centenaire de la naissance de Patrice Emery Lumumba, né le 2 juillet 1925. Premier chef de l’exécutif congolais après l’indépendance, Lumumba demeure une figure emblématique de la lutte pour la souveraineté, la dignité et la liberté du peuple congolais, selon Robert Ngambi, communicateur principal du Parti Lumumbiste Unifié (PALU).
Une vision toujours d’actualité
FAMILLE GUIRA A BOROMO
OBJET : LETTRE DE REMERCIEMENT SUITE AU DECES DE SA MAJESTE NAABA PENGDWENDE
CHEF DE CANTON DE BOROMO.
La grande Famille GUIRA à Boromo , Bobo Dioulasso, Ouagadougou, Zabre, Côte d'Ivoire, Safane, Poura Carrefour, et les familles alliées KARANTAO à Ouahabou, COULIBALY à NANOU, à SANI et SEYNOU à KOHO , très touchées par les nombreuses marques de sympathie et de soutien multiformes qui leur ont été témoignés lors du rappel à Dieu de sa majeste Naaba Pengdwende chef de de canton de Boromo. Decès survenu le 20 Juin 2025 à Ouagadougou , inhumé le 22 Juin dans son domicile sis au secteur 1 de Boromo et le Doua le Dimanche 29 Juin.
Dans l' impossibilité d'y répondre individuellement , la grande Famille GUIRA et alliées remercie toutes les personnes qui par leur présence physique , morale , financière , spirituelle , et matérièlle en cette période difficile. Merci d'avoir rendu un si bel Hommage à sa majesté Naaba Pengdende, chef de Canton de Boromo . Que Dieu tout puissant vous le rende au centuple de vos bienfaits.
Par la grande Famille GUIRA et Alliées.
Signé sa majesté Tegawende chef de canton de Boromo
10 ans déjà
04 Juillet 2015 - 04 Juillet 2025
La famille vous convie à la Messe qui sera célébrée en sa mémoire le dimanche 06 juillet 2025 à 11h à la paroisse Saint Jean XXIII à Gounghin.
Prière à tous ceux l'ayant connue d'avoir une pensée pieuse pour elle en ce 10 ième anniversaire de décès.
Union de prière