Continuing our new series of coverage from Airspace World 2026.
While in Lisbon, Global Airspace Radar met with Andreas Boschen, Executive Director of the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking (SJU). They discussed where the SJU stands today, the milestones ahead and what the future of European aviation partnerships may look like.
Andreas arrived at Airspace World with a full agenda and a recent personal milestone: in April 2026, his mandate as Executive Director of the SJU was extended until 2029. The extension came with three priorities – implementing the ATM Master Plan 2025 (ATM MP), advancing Common Project 2 (CP2), and preparing the SESAR programme for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028–2034.
SJU machinery at full speed for delivery
Andreas explains the SJU agenda, pointing out that with 49 new projects launched in 2026 and almost all available EU budget for the current programme period allocated, the SJU pipeline is full. With CP1 completing its cycle and CP2 in preparation, the focus is now on translating the ATM Master Plan and its ten deployment priorities into implementation across Europe. As Andreas explains, CP2 is not an administrative continuation of CP1. “It is the concrete implementation of the ATM Master Plan for the next ten + years.” Common Projects deploy mature SESAR solutions as a binding regulation in a synchronised and timely manner across Europe, with clear eligibility criteria as network benefits from synchronised deployment or to incentivise early movers. Andreas says they are “a very smart tool of the Commission in the Single European Sky framework”.
CP2: The stakes are high
“A delivery of a strong CP2 is for me also the entry ticket for the ATM stakeholders to successfully access the MFF funds for the period 2028–34,” Andreas says. The work is ongoing and the remaining timeline is firm. A public draft is currently on the SJU website for consultation, a stakeholder workshop is being held on 8–9 June 2026 and a final consultation deadline is set for 8 July. Andreas is candid about the work ahead. “This is a real consultation – the draft still must improve”. After the SJU Governing Board review, scheduled for the end of June, the final version for the European Commission shall be ready in October – with the ambition to formally hand over the CP2 proposal to the Commissioner at the SJU Annual Conference on 12 October in Brussels.
Aviation’s place in the next budget cycle
CP2’s regulatory ambition sits within a broader strategic architecture. The ATM Master Plan provides the technology roadmap and is feeding the Aviation Research and Innovation Strategy (ARIS). The consultation recently closed for the European Aviation and Aeronautics Strategy, with the final version expected by the end of the year. The SJU provides the technical content for the Commission’s aviation strategy and related financial proposals for the MFF.
“The SJU is very pleased with the Commission proposals on the aviation strategy, and how aviation is placed in the next MFF and the European Competitiveness Fund,” Andreas shares.
It is worth noting that the European Aviation Strategy includes the two pillars of aircraft technology and ATM, both identified as key technology clusters for European competitiveness, industry innovation and technology leadership, and with a significant budget allocation in the MFF 2028-34.
The future of the SJU itself
The discussion about what comes after the end of the current SJU mandate is already live. The Commission has signalled a call for evidence on the landscape of future public-private partnerships, leading to an impact assessment with a definition of the options. The date for this consultation is currently unknown. One option under discussion is a merger of the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking and the SESAR Joint Undertaking into a single future integrated partnership.
Andreas is clear about the community’s preparedness, “The SESAR community is ready to continue in the form of a public-private partnership.” However, it is not yet known what the actual future structure will look like and Andreas says this will only be clear after the call for evidence and the impact assessment of the Commission. After the target model is published by the EC, the community then needs to work on the ‘how’. Andreas is ready. “Me and my team and all our stakeholders are fully prepared to work on the details.”
The months ahead
From the discussion with Andreas, three priorities for the SJU stakeholder community are evident. First, active participation in the CP2 finalisation process – consultations, workshops and targeted stakeholder discussions. Second, the call for evidence on the future of partnerships – to express views on the future of the SJU to the Commission, individually as well as through associations and alliances. Third, positioning and stakeholder alignment for the MFF negotiations, driven not only at European level in Brussels but critically through member states’ ministries and in their capitals.
