The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) was founded by adoption of Regulation (EC) No 1592/2002 through both the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union on 15 July 2002. Before it commenced its operations in 2003, each European state was responsible for the aviation safety on its very own. Meanwhile Regulation (EC) No 1592/2002 has been repealed and replaced by Regulation (EC) No 216/2008 - which in itself has been replaced by Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 (currently in force, as of March 2019).
Since 2006, EASA is fully implemented; and it has now above 800 aviation experts and administrators as staff[1].
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Role within Aviation Legislation
Within the European Union, "Regulations" are legal acts after a European Union legislative procedure. From the twentieth day following their publication in the "Official Journal of the European Union", they enter into force and they are legally "binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States", simultaneously. Unless through some legal reasons or a derogation, a Regulation becomes enforceable as law - and mediation into national law is not required, since inconsistent national law on the same matter is overwritten. Consistency of subsequent national law with regulations of the European Union has to be respected.
On the other hand, a Regulation requires the proposal of the European Commission and subsequent approval by both the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament in order to become law.