Joint Sectorial Committee on Certification Bilateral Enhancement Roadmap (BER) - 2025-2030 - Issue 1

Sponsors:

This Roadmap is sponsored by the Joint Sectorial Committee on Certification.

Signed on:

December 10, 2025

Table of Contents

1. 1. Preamble
2. 2. Introduction
3. 3. Vision and Objective
4. 4. Roadmap Strategic Initiatives
5. 5. Roadmap Focus Areas
   1. 5.1 Reciprocal Acceptance of Certificates and Approvals
   2. 5.2 Streamlined Validation of Certificates and Approvals
   3. 5.3 Technical Validation
   4. 5.4 Maintenance of Confidence
   5. 5.5 Regulations and Cooperation Strategy

1. Preamble

This Bilateral Enhancement Roadmap (hereafter referred to as the Roadmap) has been developed under the auspices of the Joint Sectorial Committee on Certification (JSCC). The JSCC provides governance to the effective functioning, implementation, and continued validity of the bilateral airworthiness procedures between EASA and TCCA. The JSCC will review its implementation on a yearly basis and will adjust it, if necessary, through subsequent revisions.

2. Introduction

In October 2024, the Certification Management Team (CMT) comprising the civil aviation authorities of Brazil (Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil - ANAC), Canada (Transport Canada Civil Aviation - TCCA), European Union (European Union Aviation Safety Agency - EASA) and, the Unites States of America (Federal Aviation Administration - FAA), agreed to a renewal of their Collaboration Strategy for the period Year 2025 – 2030.

The CMT’s vision in the Collaboration Strategy is to exercise active confidence building initiatives and risk-based validation principles among the Authorities (ANAC, EASA, FAA, and TCCA) to enable acceptance of the Certificating Authority’s (CA) activities with limited or no technical involvement by the Validating Authority (VA).

Implementation of the CMT strategy will reduce VA resource expenditure, ensure a high degree of safety, and promote regulatory cooperation and harmonization among the CMT Authorities.

The CMT Collaboration Strategy established the following strategic objectives descending from the strategic focus areas of “Partnership Leveraging” and “Certification Policy Alignment”:

• Improve efficiency of validation activities;
• Increase VA recognition of operational evaluation activities performed by the CA;
• Allow transferability between CA and VA of products with new and/or emerging technologies where systems are not harmonised; and
• Coordinate rulemaking process to the maximum extent possible for harmonisation of standards and policies.

The CMT Authorities agreed to develop bilateral roadmaps to incorporate the CMT vision and implementation of the strategic focus areas. This Roadmap is the agreement reached by JSCC to document its implementation strategy.

3. Vision and Objective

The Roadmap vision is to optimise implementation of the Canada-European Union Agreement on civil aviation safety (referred to as BASA) by increasing reliance on the activities of the CA, achieved by minimal or no technical review by the VA and maximising reliance on the CA to the greatest extent practicable, but also in other areas that the JSCC sees the need to address to effectively meet the challenges ahead.

The JSCC recognises that while the ultimate objective under the risk-based approach to validation is to achieve full acceptance by the VA there remain challenges within their respective organisations and regulatory frameworks. Therefore, both Authorities are committed to functionally applying this approach and taking progressive steps to reduce, if not eliminate, in-depth technical involvement by the VA based on level of risk.

This Roadmap aims to accomplish this by developing and applying risk-based validation principles that enable further reduction of the level of technical involvement in validation. This will result in the optimisation of EASA and TCCA certification resource expenditures while assuring each other a high degree of safety, and promotion of regulatory cooperation and harmonisation between Canada and the European Union.

4. Roadmap Strategic Initiatives

The Roadmap will apply a risk-based approach to reduce, if not eliminate, to the greatest extent practicable the VA level of involvement in validation activities. The risk-based approach aims to achieve validation approvals in three categories, namely:

1. Reciprocal Acceptance of Certificates and Approvals: This category involves automatic acceptance of an approval in the system of one Authority as constituting a valid approval in the other Authority’s system without any technical involvement or issuance of equivalent approval by the VA as the importing Authority.
2. Streamlined Validation of Certificates and Approvals: An issuance of an approval in the system of one Authority leads to issuance by the VA of an equivalent approval without technical review.
3. Technical Validation: The level of involvement by the VA is established based on a set of risk-based criteria mutually agreed to between EASA and TCCA, rather than on a comprehensive review by the VA of compliance findings already made by the CA. The validation activity involves use of a work plan that incorporates active management oversight to ensure CMT principles and procedures are applied to maximise reliance on the CA’s findings.

As the JSCC continuously strives to align their certification policies, it is the mutual desire of EASA and TCCA that the current validation procedures of the Technical Implementation Procedures (TIP) evolve from Technical Validation to Streamlined Validation to the greatest extent practicable, and where feasible to Reciprocal Acceptance. The effective implementation of current privileges between Authorities, and future extension of those privileges, under the TIP shall be subject to periodic evaluation under a maintenance of confidence process established by the JSCC. The periodic evaluation is to ensure EASA and TCCA remain capable of fulfilling their regulatory functions and obligations under the TIP.

5. Roadmap Focus Areas

The Roadmap sets out a group of high-level aspirational goals that the two Authorities commit to working towards a common certification (safety) culture, for the enhancement of the relationship and the mutual competitiveness of Industry while achieving their safety goals and priorities. Alignment of those safety goals and priorities are also desired where possible considering the landscape in which the Authorities exercise their responsibilities.

5.1 Reciprocal Acceptance of Certificates and Approvals

An approval in the system of one Authority constitutes a valid approval in the other Authority’s system without any technical involvement or issuance of equivalent approval by the VA (importing authority).

Initiative Description	Timeline	Desired Outcome
ETSO/CAN-TSO design approvals, and subsequent design changes	2026 (TIP Rev 5)	Expand reciprocal acceptance to all ETSOs and CAN-TSOs, including those TSOs unique to EASA or TCCA system. All TSOs from Canada and from EASA Member States to be automatically accepted. Remove common list of ETSO and CAN-TSO
Reciprocal Acceptance of repair design approvals for critical or life-limited parts or for areas affected by an AD.	2026 (TIP Rev 5)	Lift the current exclusion and apply automatic acceptance such that an approval under the system of one Authority constitutes a valid approval under the other Authority’s system with no technical review nor issuance of approval by the VA. Repair design approvals are automatically accepted on all products, regardless of State of Design (SoD).
Automatic Acceptance of design data for changes and repairs contained in EASA CS-STAN	2026 (TIP Rev 5)	EASA Standard Changes and Standard Repairs installed on products exported from EASA Member States are automatically accepted by TCCA at the time of import to Canada. Note: TCCA has no equivalent system to EASA CS-STAN

5.2 Streamlined Validation of Certificates and Approvals

An issuance of an approval in the system of the CA leads to an issuance by the VA with only a review of the application package. This simplified method of validation was created to further leverage acceptance of findings of the CA and reduce VA validation effort for low-risk products.

Initiative Description	Timeline	Desired Outcome
JSCC to implement validation efficiencies promoted under the CMT Collaboration Strategy dated October 2024.	2026 (TIP Rev 5)	Revise the TIP to introduce 3 streams of validation approvals using acceptance, streamlined validation, or technical validation.
Establish Basic/ Non-Basic criteria consistent with risk-based approach	2026 (TIP Rev 5)	Evolve current criteria for Level 1 and Level 2 major design changes to the Basic/ Non-Basic classification system for all validated products (STC, amended TC, and other CA approvals)
Define criteria for Streamlined Validation of initial type certificates and subsequent design changes for eligible low-risk products, such as but not limited to: Reciprocating engines Propellers Part 23 airplanes (including Very Light Aeroplanes) fitted with a streamlined engine Part 27 rotorcraft Gliders/Powered gliders Airships Balloons	2026 (TIP Rev. 5)	Identify low-risk products whose design and design changes can be validated by the VA using the Streamlined Validation procedures An issuance of an approval under the system of the CA leads to an issuance of an equivalent approval by the VA without any technical review.
Streamlined validation of environmental approvals by maximising reliance on the CA system.	Partially implemented in 2011, and continuing through 2027	Optimise or maximise reliance by the VA on findings of compliance by the CA on environmental requirements covering: Noise Exhaust Emissions CO2 emissions
Streamlined operational validation process by optimising reliance on the CA system (OSD/MMEL)	On-going through 2027	Enhance the harmonisation of technical standards and policies to further facilitate the reciprocal acceptance of approvals and determinations of compliance, with the ultimate goal of CA certification basis being acceptable to the VA with no additional conditions.
Identify other product categories of Part 23 airplanes and their engines that can benefit from Streamlined Validation.	2030	Initiate joint review/ study to identify possible criteria that can enable future expansion of streamlined validation of eligible product types.
Identify transport/ large category aircraft (Parts 25 and 29) and their respective powerplant that can benefit from Streamlined Validation.	2030	Initiate joint review/ study to identify possible criteria that can enable future expansion of streamlined validation of eligible product types.
Harmonisation of the product certification basis between the VA and CA	2030	Initiate joint review/ study to identify possible criteria for the harmonisation of the certification basis of a product

5.3 Technical Validation

The Level of Involvement (LOI) by the VA in a technical validation is established on risk-based principles that recognises the CA as the competent authority. This process applies a work-plan that incorporates transparency of the validation scope between each Authority and ensures common principles and procedures that maximise reliance on the CA’s findings. The work plan requirement will be introduced in TIP Rev. 5 and allows the visibility into the VA’s validation process and more certainty for the Applicant and CA.

Initiative Description	Timeline	Desired Outcome
Introduction of Work plan and level of involvement	2026 (TIP Rev. 5)	Develop harmonised policy on the implementation of a common validation work plan, applying risk-based criteria to establish VA level of technical involvement.
Enhancing or expanding risk-based validation criteria	On-going through 2027	Continue to refine and harmonise risk-based validation criteria for products that are not eligible for reciprocal acceptance and streamlined validation but at the same time allows the VA to fulfil its inherent responsibility for familiarity with imported type designs.

5.4 Maintenance of Confidence

The BASA contains an obligation between Authorities to ensure that confidence is maintained with each other’s regulatory system. The TIP contains the description of the process to maintain that confidence.

Initiative Description	Timeline	Desired Outcome
Maintenance of Confidence	2028	Promote continuing understanding and compatibility of each other’s standards, rules, practices, procedures, and systems to ensure the maintenance of confidence in each other’s technical competence and ability to perform regulatory functions
Obligations of Design Approval Holders	2026 (TIP Rev.5)	VA will rely on CA oversight system to ensure compliance with holder obligations of both CA and VA where the regulations are the same.

5.5 Regulation and Cooperation Strategy

One of the core aims of the BASA is to: “develop procedures on regulatory cooperation and transparency for all activities they conduct which fall within the scope of this Agreement….”

The drive towards regulatory cooperation and harmonisation is best achieved early within the innovation lifecycle and therefore cooperation between EASA and the TCCA during the early stages of technological development brings benefits to industry through streamlined approached.

To achieve this EASA and the TCCA aim to foster collaboration on regulation and innovation topics.

Initiative Description	Timeline	Desired Outcome
Regulatory Staff Development through joint initiatives.	Continuous	Improving both professional and interpersonal relationships by staff members of both organisations at all levels to foster deeper common understanding and greater reliance on each other’s systems
Agree on common requirements and their Means of Compliance to cover aircraft and equipment approvals in support of Advanced Air Mobility operations.	2028	Facilitate export/ import/ transferability of eVTOL products between Canada and EASA Member States.
Cooperate to facilitate the introduction and implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML) in aircraft certification	2030	Agree on common requirements and their Means of Compliance for Verification and Validation for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Leaming (Al/ML) systems for Part 25 as part of the aircraft approved type design.