After graduating in Business Economics at the University "L. Bocconi" in Milan, Carlo Borghini worked in different controlling positions in the private sector before joining the European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture as an Internal Audit Supervisor in 2001. Then, he has been in charge of the Internal Audit Unit within the Commission's Directorate-General for Budget and in 2006 he was appointed Director of the Financial Services Division at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized agency of the United Nations in Italy. Afterwards, he has been working as Director Administration and Finance at the SESAR Joint Undertaking until 2008. In 2012 he has been appointed Deputy Executive Director Administration and Finance at SESAR JU.

Could you briefly sum up the situation of the European ATM scenario?

The situation of the European ATM scenario could be summarized in a single word: fragmentation.The different Single European Sky legislative packages, which are at the basis of SESAR and of a whole set of operational and regulatory activities under implementation, mainly aim at reaching certain performance levels, which require the optimization of airspace management and especially of its fragmentation. The underlying reasons are historical and operational. Given that safety has the utmost priority, the very nature of this industry and the scope of the market require that innovation, in terms of new technologies and operations, is associated to a minimum risk level. From the historical viewpoint, it could be argued that, in order to maintain the safety level achieved, the increase in air traffic has forced operators to identify short-term solutions, to be implemented with a reasonable investment level and at minimum risks. The whole process led to the parceling out of the air space, to an increase in operational complexity for air traffic controllers and to a negative impact in terms of performance and costs. However, for some years now, this trend is being reversed and ATM stakeholders at the European level are engaged in the creation of a new scenario that will bring about significant benefits at all levels of the value chain. As I have just mentioned, one of the key elements is the SESAR Programme, ENAV being one of its members.

The R&D program of the SJU is currently in an important stage, which are the main strategic evolutions of the SJU expected in order to implement its strategic objectives?

The SJU was initially set up by the European Union with Eurocontrol, and is now endorsed by associate members belonging to the European ATM industry, with the aim of managing the SESAR Programme. The SJU is evolving together with its members and in line with the results of the ATM research. The strategic development of the SJU is based on the concept of innovation, i.e. to bring the research results to a sufficiently advanced maturity level, that would be a starting point for the processes of industrialization and implementation to be carried out by the ATM industry in a coordinated and efficient way. In this framework, thanks to the fundamental support of its members, the SJU has defined a wide range of activities which demonstrate the benefits that could be reaped by implementing SESAR's technological and operational developments. For example, the recent validation results achieved as regards "remote towers" and, even more, in the field of "i4D", clearly testify the capacity of the European industry stakeholders in identifying technical and operational solutions that, in a few years, will lead to a more efficient, effective and inexpensive  air space management with a lower environmental impact. I would like to add, that one of the key elements to achieve the strategic objectives established by the SESAR Programme still remains partnership, by involving the key stakeholders of the European ATM panorama in the identification of specific, well-defined and precisely scheduled targets. Partnership stands for a pivotal factor helping in forging cohesion and in achieving short, medium and long run objectives. In particular, the strategic effort made by the SJU and its members is aimed at ensuring that all research stages, from concept to pre-industrialization, are included in the SESAR Programme and that all the  relevant stakeholders are committed to participate.

The efficient, synchronized and prompt implementation of SESAR stands for a key factor in achieving the modernization of ATM infrastructures in Europe, in order to enhance its competitiveness. Which will be role of the SJU in this framework?
Currently, there are still a great many details that need to be defined. However, as I have just mentioned, the participative strategy model is a pillar of SESAR's concept. Even more, the SJU model shows the importance and benefits of integrating the different innovation steps with the strategic objective of implementing actions aimed at getting financial advantages for the different operators and, in the end, for passengers. The recent communication issued by the European Commission to the EU Council of Transport Ministers and to the EU Parliament, states that the SJU shall play a pivotal role in the implementation phase, which goes beyond research. According to the communication, the responsibility for implementation falls within the scope of the different stakeholders and operators of the overall ATM infrastructure. Nevertheless, the SJU has a unique operational and technical know-how of complex programs which is available for the European Union in order to ensure the effective, synchronized and prompt implementation of SESAR's different results. The SJU plays a strategic and supportive role for the European Commission in the implementation of the "Single Sky" objectives.

What is your opinion about the evolution in the role of European ANSPs in Europe?
European ANSPs are key elements in the modernization process of the ATM infrastructure in Europe, they are at the heart of the system and the success of the implementation depends on their capacity to synchronize their investment plans with those of the other ATM operators. In this framework, in the next years European ANSPs might embark on strategies which require a higher level of integration resulting from the implementation of technological and operational innovation.