Ohrid, 22 February 2023 (MIA) - Heads of the civil aviation agencies of North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and Slovenia signed Wednesday an International Agreement on Cooperation in Aeronautical Search and Rescue, as part of the Regional Aeronautical Search and Rescue Advisory Committee (RASARAC).

The Agreement is the first document of its kind in Europe, and it represents an attempt to harmonize international cooperation that will coordinate all services involved in rescue, search and providing assistance to accident victims and material goods.

The signing ceremony in Ohrid was also attended by Minister of Transport and Communications Blagoj Bochvarski, who said that the agreement will strengthen the cooperation of the national agencies in building capacities, exchanging experiences and knowledge, improving the operative cross-border cooperation, as well as mutual support during the implementation of standards, regulation and procedures in the relevant area.

“Considering the need for an organized system for the rescue of aircraft and people in danger, as high-risk operations, today’s meeting only confirms that we are working with the countries of the region to harmonize the domestic legislation to provide the necessary resources for these kinds of operations. Regional cooperation is exceptionally important for North Macedonia in establishing professional standards in civil aviation,” said Bochvarski.

According to the Minister, the development of aviation in the country is high on the Government’s agenda, and it is working to create the conditions for a long-term and efficient system of organization of civil aviation.

Bochvarski stated that the Government has adopted the Law on Aviation, with the goal of harmonizing the national regulation with the European.

“The law is fully harmonized with the EU directives, as well as the EUROCONTROL standards, and with it we are enabling an efficient way of organizing aviation in the country,” said the Minister, stressing that the Law will also solve the issue of the autonomy of the Civil Aviation Agency.

Civil Aviation Agency director Tomislav Tuntev said that the goal of RASARAC is a harmonization of all search and rescue activities and the improvement of the cross-border cooperation of the member states.

“This is an activity of essential importance to civil aviation. We are working to be prepared for any emergency or need, so that the states can adequately respond to the challenges… To coordinate all services that can contribute to saving human lives or material goods. That is why RASARAC exists,” said Tuntev.

The Regional Aeronautical Search and Rescue Advisory Committee (RASARAC) was established in 2016, with the support of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC). Currently RASARAC consists of ten member states – North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary and Czechia, and three observer members. ad/ik/