The European Commission appointed the seven members of its reconstituted Performance Review Board (PRB) in September 2025, marking the operational start of the Single European Sky’s revised performance governance structure. The appointments are effective from 1 September 2025 following a selection process launched in April and reflect both continuity and change in how Brussels oversees air traffic management performance across the Member States and Single European Sky associated countries.
What changed under SES2+
The SES2+ regulation (EU 2024/2803), adopted in October 2024, restructured the performance oversight architecture. Article 13 – 19 established the PRB as an “independent and impartial” advisory body with seven members serving non-renewable five-year terms, a reduction from the previous configuration. The board has a dedicated secretariat provided by the Commission, which operates in support but without taking directives except from the PRB itself, as stated in Article 17 “to enable the PRB to fulfil its role” and “to contribute to the independent execution of the tasks of the PRB”.
The regulation also establishes the National Supervisory Authorities Cooperation Board under Article 18, creating a formal coordination mechanism between the PRB and national-level oversight bodies. This governance layer was absent from the previous framework.
This organisational set-up evolves from the previous arrangements, though the PRB’s core function remains unchanged: it advises, it does not decide. The regulation explicitly states the board “shall have a purely advisory role” with “no regulatory function or other decision-making power except for the adoption of its opinions, recommendations, guidance material and reports.”
The selection process
Following a public call for expressions of interest in spring, the Commission compiled a candidates list and consulted the Member States in July 2025. The process aimed for a balanced representation across competencies, gender, and geographical origin.
The Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/635 of 31st of March 2025 established the framework, emphasising merit-based appointments considering “skills and experience relevant to air traffic management, air navigation services or the economic regulation of network industries.”
The selected members
Koen Milis (Belgium) assumes the chair position. Amongst many other roles he was formerly chairman of the EASA management board and Director General of the Belgian Civil Aviation Authority.
Maurizio Castelletti (Italy) joins with his expertise developed through decades in the European Commission. As one key position prior to his retirement, Castelletti headed the Single European Sky unit within the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport.
Ana Gómez-Pineda Luna (Spain) has vast experience across the sector, serving most recently six years as Assistant Director Airports at IATA.
Catherine Mannion (Ireland) joins the new PRB. In the previous term she was PRB chair, and prior been Commissioner for aviation regulation in Dublin.
Juan José Montero-Pascual (Spain) brings his expertise in the regulation of network industries and as director of the Florence School of Regulation.
Patrick Souchu (France), brings deep knowledge of SESAR and regulations, as former director of the SESAR programme for DGCA Direction Generale de l’Aviation Civile.
Joe Sultana (Malta) has been a member of the former PRB since 2021 and contributes strong ATM network perspectives as former Director Network Manager at EUROCONTROL.
The seven appointees clearly bring diverse expertise across air traffic management, aviation economics, environmental performance, and regulatory frameworks – skills identified in the selection framework as essential for the board’s mandate. All information around the new board and contact details can be accessed via the European Commission’s homepage.
The Commission established a reserve list naming Estelle Malavolti (France), to ensure continuity if any member becomes unable to serve their full term.
The geographic distribution shows concentration in Western and Southern Europe, with no representation from Northern or Eastern European states, a pattern that may invite scrutiny given the pan-European scope of the board’s work. However, to be fair to the decision makers: it is hardly possible to represent full diversity for all the criteria with only seven members.
The advisory mandate
The PRB functions purely as an advisory body without regulatory or decision-making powers. Its role centres on providing opinions, recommendations, reports, and guidance to the Commission on performance and charging scheme implementation. The board also supports national supervisory authorities responsible for overseeing air navigation service providers in their respective countries.
All members serve in their personal capacity rather than representing national or organisational interests, reinforcing the board’s independence.
The PRB will provide opinions on European Union-wide performance targets, assess the draft performance plans which are not yet closed, and monitor achievements. The Commission retains decision-making authority and with it, ultimate responsibility for political priorities within the performance and charging schemes and future evolutions.
Key questions on the way forward
Closure of reference period 4 performance plans
Next on the agenda is the full closure of Reference Period (RP) 4 performance plans. RP 4 has been running since the 1st of January 2025. While some Member States are still in the approval phase of RP4 performance plan, the majority of stakeholders re-focus now on planning for RP5. Expectations remain that RP5 will bring structural reforms to the performance scheme and its key performance indicators.
Balancing three performance areas
The PRB’s mandate explicitly covers three key performance areas: climate and environment, capacity, and cost-efficiency. Balancing the priorities of these three areas will prove challenging. Under Commission guidance, the PRB will also need to consider current geopolitical challenges and the increased importance of Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) as critical infrastructure and their resilience needs, while demands for innovation and efficiency require urgent digitalisation and modernisation of the European ATM system.
Opportunities for fresh thinking
The restructured board brings the opportunity to inject fresh perspectives through its diverse membership and refined procedures. Whether its members can meaningfully influence outcomes within their governance limits remains to be seen. The need to develop content for RP5 and provide input to shape the evolution of the performance and charging schemes will soon provide such opportunities.
