WORK ON THE INTERNATIONAL LEGAL SYSTEM OF AIR CARRIERS CIVIL LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES DONE TO THIRD PARTIES ON THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH BY AIRSHIPS. ACTUAL STATE AND PERSPECTIVES

The aim of the article is to present the ongoing, within ICAO, process of modernization of the Rome conventions of 1933 and 1952 on air carrier's civil liability for damages done to third parties. The authoress, who took part in the work of the legal committees at the 36th Assembly of International Civil Aviation Organizations (ICAO) in 2007 and the 33rd sitting of the ICAO Legal Committee in 2008, presents and analyzes the project of modernization of the Rome conventions taking into account all the source materials such as the ICAO documents from the above-mentioned meetings. Additionally, she presents the opinions of states and aviation organizations on the project and ponders over their legitimacy. The authoress emphasizes that even the events of September 11, 2001 in New York did not increase the pace of the process of modernization of the Roman conventions. That is why she pins her hopes on the work of the Special Group for Modernization of the Roman Conventions (SGMR) which has already led to the creation of two projects of modernization of the conventions on damages done to third parties as a result of the so-called general risks and acts of illegal interference. Despite numerous difficulties in reaching an agreement by the delegates, she notices states' big activeness and a will to accept the two convention drafts as soon as possible. In conclusion, she writes about a possible states' compromise leading to the creation of new international legal acts, the final proof of which will be the ICAO diplomatic conference planned for 2009.