EU countries unify airport security

EU governments have agreed to coordinate airport and aircraft security controls for the first time in the wake of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

Leaving emergency talks in Brussels to return to London, British Transport Secretary Stephen Byers said proposals for a new international system for monitoring airport security would be put by the EU to a meeting of world aviation authorities in Montreal later this month.

Meanwhile, the 15 member states agreed to turn into EU law existing recommendations on comprehensive screening of passenger luggage and cargo aboard planes.

Mr Byers said: ‘‘It is clear that in the light of the tragic events in New York and Washington, we need to reconsider our approach to aircraft and airport security.

‘‘We are facing a new form of terrorism which uses passenger aircraft as guided missiles. We must ensure that we meet this threat with appropriate measures.’’

Part of the new drive is the setting up of a special group of experts from the Commission and the member states to examine closer EU cooperation in air security ‘‘to guarantee the consistent introduction of security measures’’. It will report back to the next meeting of transport ministers in mid-October.

There are currently no binding EU rules on aircraft and airport security, just common standards for aircraft and passenger safety, such as air crew working hours and emergency procedures.

Instead, the EU countries apply - in differing degrees - a package of measures already set out in ‘‘document 30’’ of the European Civil Aviation Conference.

The Conference is a grouping of 38 countries, including all the EU members, which set standards for airline security.

‘‘Document 30’’ provides for full screening of airbound passenger luggage and cargo something assumed to take place already but which some countries are still struggling to apply at many airports.

Until now, one area of dispute has been the screening of baggage going into aircraft holds - which Germany, Italy and Poland, for example, do not do, except for flights from their territories bound for either America or Israel.

There is now a commitment to apply full screening by the end of 2002.

EU Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio said the lack of coordinated measures so far did not indicate a lack of European airline and airport security, just a different perception of the threat in different countries.

‘‘The risk is not always the same in all countries, particularly when you talk about domestic flights. The fact that the EU has not had binding harmonised rules so far does not mean there wasn’t any safety, just that member states have been applying recommendations with a lot of elbow room, depending on the requirements at their airports. Tonight we have made a big step forward, by controlling and harmonising these measures.’’

The Commissioner went on: ‘‘On Tuesday, everything changed. It showed us that there must be more rigour in the way be apply our regulations.’’

‘‘Politically, the EU has shown that it is able to grasp the nettle and give itself common rules, monitor their application, and guarantee a uniform high level of safety at a European and international level.

‘‘I suppose you could say it has taken Tuesday’s tragic events for us to do this.’’

At the talks, Mr Byers had said a new effort was needed to tackle a new brand of terrorism: ‘‘All current security plans and preparations have been based on the idea that terrorists want to preserve their own lives. In the light of the suicide pilot, we need to think again,’’ he said.