Paper short abstract:

The meeting that created EASA took place against the backdrop of the realization of the European Union and what would soon be a new relationship between East and West. This anniversary is an apt moment to revisit what led up to that meeting, what happened there, and the course that it set for EASA.

Paper long abstract:

In 1989, Europe was on the threshold of two major transformations: the realization of the European Union and a redefined relationship between East and West. It was against that background that the meeting was held that marked the founding of EASA. This is an apt moment to revisit what led up to the meeting and what happened there: the issues that were raised (and those that were not), and the resolutions that resulted (and those that did not). That history bears some lessons for EASA today.