2.3.2007 Official Journal of the European Union L 64/1 (Acts adopted under the EC Treaty/Euratom Treaty whose publication is obligatory) REGULATIONS COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 219/2007 of 27 February 2007 on the establishment of a Joint Undertaking to develop the new generation European air traffic management system (SESAR) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 171 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament, Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee, Whereas: In order to create the single European sky, on 10 March 2004 the European Parliament and the Council adopted Regulation (EC) No 549/2004 laying down the framework for the creation of the single European sky (the framework Regulation) ('), Regulation (EC) No 550/2004 on the provision of air navigation services in the single European sky (the service provision Regu- lation) (3), Regulation (EC) No 551/2004 on the organ- isation and use of the airspace in the single European sky (the airspace Regulation) (}), and Regulation (EC) No 552/2004 on the interoperability of the European Air Traffic Management network (the interoperability Regu- lation) (#). The project to modernise air traffic management in Europe, (the SESAR project), is the technological element of the single European sky. It aims by 2020 to give the Community a high-performance air traffic 96, 31.3.2004, p. 1. 96, 31.3.2004, p. 10. 96, 31.3.2004, p. 20. 96, 31.3.2004, p. 26. control infrastructure which will enable the safe and environmentally friendly development of air transport, benefiting fully from the technological advances of programmes such as Galileo. Following the Community’s accession to Eurocontrol, the Commission and Eurocontrol have signed a cooperation framework agreement for the implementation of the single European sky and for research and development activities in the field of air traffic control. In accordance with the guidelines adopted by the Competitiveness Council of 7 June 2005 concerning the preparation of the future European space programme, the European Union will be responsible for ensuring the availability and continuity of operational services supporting its policies, and it will contribute to the development, deployment and operation of a European space infrastructure by concentrating on space-based  applications to  contribute to the achievement of its policies. The SESAR project aims to integrate and coordinate research and development activities which were previously undertaken in a dispersed and uncoordinated manner in the Community, including the most remote and outlying regions thereof, referred to in Article 299(2) of the Treaty. By avoiding the duplication of research and development activities, the SESAR project will not lead to an increase in the overall volume of air users’ contributions to research and development efforts. The SESAR project is composed of three phases: a defi- nition phase, a development phase and a deployment phase.