National and Supranational Regulatory Framework (EU and UK)
The exam tests the layering of rules: what comes from ICAO, what the EU makes directly applicable, and what a State adds on top.
The EU layer
Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 (the Basic Regulation) sets the scope, creates EASA and empowers the Commission to adopt implementing rules. It replaced the older 216/2008 and repealed many earlier regulations. Article 2(3) excludes "Annex I" aircraft - microlights, homebuilts, many historic and sport aircraft - which remain under national rules.
Key implementing acts: Part-21 (design and production), Part-ORO, Part-CAT, Part-SPA, Part-NCC, Part-NCO, Part-SPO (Reg. 965/2012 air operations), Part-FCL and Part-MED (1178/2011), Part-M, Part-ML, Part-145 and Part-66 (1321/2014), Part-ADR (139/2014 aerodromes), SERA (923/2012), Reg. 300/2008 security, Reg. 785/2004 insurance, Reg. 376/2014 occurrence reporting and Reg. 996/2010 investigation.
A Regulation is directly applicable in every Member State and does not need transposing; a Directive must be transposed into national law. Operators fall under the authority of the State that issued their AOC, pilots under the licensing State, aircraft under the State of registry or the State of the operator for some tasks.
UK position
Following withdrawal, the UK is no longer an EASA member. The CAA issues UK licences and AOCs under retained/assimilated law that mirrored the EU framework at the point of retention but now diverges. EU regulations continue to be updated without the UK, so an EU rule and its UK counterpart are not guaranteed to be identical.
Worked example
A UK-issued ATPL holder joins an airline operating an aeroplane on an EASA AOC. The licence is now a third-country licence: it may be used only under the relevant recognition or validation provisions, not automatically as a Part-FCL licence.
Traps that cost marks
Treating a Regulation as needing national transposition; assuming EASA rules cover Annex I aircraft; assuming mutual recognition between UK and EU licences continues unchanged.