From the JAA website:
<a href="http://www.jaa.nl/whatisthejaa/jaainfo.html#4" target="_blank">http://www.jaa.nl/whatisthejaa/jaainfo.html#4</a>
"There was always general agreement between the JAA members that we need a more formal and legally binding status for JAA. Therefore a special working group developed a possible text for a JAA Convention that received an agreement in principle from the JAA Board in 1995 but was not further developed as some members felt that co-ordination with the European Union was necessary.
Since 1997 the EU is discussing a proposal from the European Commission for the establishment of a European organisation responsible for civil aviation safety. Finally in June 2000 the Council of the EU Transport Ministers asked the Commission to develop an EU Regulation for an European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) which will be responsible for rulemaking, certification and standardisation for the application of rules by the national aviation authorities.
Meanwhile, the draft "Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules in the field of civil aviation and establishing a European Aviation Safety Agency" had its First Reading in the European Parliament and was politically agreed by the Council. After the envisaged Second Reading in the Parliament early 2002 and the final decision in the Council before Summer 2002, it is expected that the Regulation will be in force in the second half of the year 2002. It is anticipated that the EASA might start its work a year later by 2003.
JAA is very active these days, as defined in its second objective "Transition from JAA to EASA": To ensure the highest level of contribution to the European Union for establishing an European Aviation Safety Agency that would absorb all functions and activities of the JAA in a period as short as possible and would ensure the full participation of the JAA non EU member States.
The full transition from JAA to EASA will take several years:
EASA will at its start in 2003, only be responsible for Airworthiness Regulations and Type Certification.
The extension into the field of rulemaking for Operations and Licensing will need at least two additional years.
The participation of non EU Member States in EASA will need further negotiations and political decisions. "