Regional Aeronautical Search and Rescue Advisory Committee (RASARAC)
The Memorandum of Understanding establishing the Regional Aeronautical Search and Rescue Advisory Committee was signed on 3 November 2016 by the Republic of Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, and Slovakia as members, with Croatia, Hungary, and Slovakia participating as observers. This founding document is grounded in international treaties related to search and rescue, including the 1944 Chicago Convention and the International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue Manual (IAMSAR). The initiative to establish the committee originated from the Serbian Civil Aviation Directorate, which also chaired the committee during its inaugural year.
The committee’s primary objective is to provide mutual support among signatory countries by facilitating cooperation agreements, developing and enhancing capacities for the effective organization of national civil aviation search and rescue systems, supporting the implementation of ICAO standards in this domain, exchanging experiences through joint analyses and planning, and promoting communication via information sharing at both managerial and technical levels. The committee does not hold the status of an international organization; its decisions are considered recommendations and are therefore non-binding.
Any state, or its designated authority responsible for civil aviation search and rescue, may join the Memorandum with the consent of all existing members, acquiring either member or observer status. International organizations that do not meet the criteria for membership may be granted observer status upon unanimous approval by the members.
Currently, the Regional Advisory Committee for Search and Rescue in Civil Aviation comprises 12 participating countries as members: Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Albania. Hungary, Romania, and the Czech Republic participate as observers, alongside the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) and ICAO.
Agreement on Cooperation and Coordination in Search and Rescue - RASARAC
The agreement between the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the governments of Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia on cooperation and coordination in aviation search and rescue was signed in Ohrid on February 22, 2023. The initiative came from Serbian representatives in RASARAC, founded in 2016 in Belgrade.
This agreement provides a general framework for cooperation and coordination among aviation search and rescue bodies. Specific procedures for deploying rescue units in another state’s territory are defined through bilateral operational agreements. By ratifying this agreement, Serbia is committed to following ICAO standards, particularly those requiring coordination and cooperation between national search and rescue authorities, especially when operations extend across national borders.
COSPAS-SARSAT
The International Cospas-Sarsat Programme is a non-profit, intergovernmental organization that operates a global satellite system for detecting and locating activated distress radio beacons (ELT, EPIRB, PLB). The collected information is forwarded to the appropriate Rescue Coordination Centers (RCC) for search and rescue operations.
The system was established in 1979 through cooperation between Canada, France, the United States, and the former Soviet Union and became operational in 1985. It was formally established as an intergovernmental organization in 1988 through the International Cospas-Sarsat Programme Agreement, signed by Canada, the USA, France, and the Soviet Union (now the Russian Federation).
Including the four parties to the agreement, a total of 43 countries and 2 international organizations are formally associated with the program and actively participate in the management and operation of the Cospas-Sarsat (C/S) satellite system.
The first rescue action supported by the C/S satellite system took place in 1982.
The Republic of Serbia is a full member of the International Cospas-Sarsat Programme, with the status of a User State. Serbia officially joined the program on July 17, 2010, after submitting a letter of accession to the International Civil Aviation Organization on June 17 of the same year.
In Serbia, the Civil Aviation Directorate is responsible for cooperation with the international C/S program, the implementation of obligations arising from membership, and the coordination of all activities related to the system. Cospas-Sarsat members implement, maintain, coordinate, and further develop the satellite program. Since its inception, the system has helped save over 50,000 lives worldwide.
The committee’s primary objective is to provide mutual support among signatory countries by facilitating cooperation agreements, developing and enhancing capacities for the effective organization of national civil aviation search and rescue systems, supporting the implementation of ICAO standards in this domain, exchanging experiences through joint analyses and planning, and promoting communication via information sharing at both managerial and technical levels. The committee does not hold the status of an international organization; its decisions are considered recommendations and are therefore non-binding.
Any state, or its designated authority responsible for civil aviation search and rescue, may join the Memorandum with the consent of all existing members, acquiring either member or observer status. International organizations that do not meet the criteria for membership may be granted observer status upon unanimous approval by the members.
Currently, the Regional Advisory Committee for Search and Rescue in Civil Aviation comprises 12 participating countries as members: Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Albania. Hungary, Romania, and the Czech Republic participate as observers, alongside the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) and ICAO.
Agreement on Cooperation and Coordination in Search and Rescue - RASARAC
The agreement between the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the governments of Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia on cooperation and coordination in aviation search and rescue was signed in Ohrid on February 22, 2023. The initiative came from Serbian representatives in RASARAC, founded in 2016 in Belgrade.
This agreement provides a general framework for cooperation and coordination among aviation search and rescue bodies. Specific procedures for deploying rescue units in another state’s territory are defined through bilateral operational agreements. By ratifying this agreement, Serbia is committed to following ICAO standards, particularly those requiring coordination and cooperation between national search and rescue authorities, especially when operations extend across national borders.
COSPAS-SARSAT
The International Cospas-Sarsat Programme is a non-profit, intergovernmental organization that operates a global satellite system for detecting and locating activated distress radio beacons (ELT, EPIRB, PLB). The collected information is forwarded to the appropriate Rescue Coordination Centers (RCC) for search and rescue operations.
The system was established in 1979 through cooperation between Canada, France, the United States, and the former Soviet Union and became operational in 1985. It was formally established as an intergovernmental organization in 1988 through the International Cospas-Sarsat Programme Agreement, signed by Canada, the USA, France, and the Soviet Union (now the Russian Federation).
Including the four parties to the agreement, a total of 43 countries and 2 international organizations are formally associated with the program and actively participate in the management and operation of the Cospas-Sarsat (C/S) satellite system.
The first rescue action supported by the C/S satellite system took place in 1982.
The Republic of Serbia is a full member of the International Cospas-Sarsat Programme, with the status of a User State. Serbia officially joined the program on July 17, 2010, after submitting a letter of accession to the International Civil Aviation Organization on June 17 of the same year.
In Serbia, the Civil Aviation Directorate is responsible for cooperation with the international C/S program, the implementation of obligations arising from membership, and the coordination of all activities related to the system. Cospas-Sarsat members implement, maintain, coordinate, and further develop the satellite program. Since its inception, the system has helped save over 50,000 lives worldwide.