Speaking notes from Mr Siim Kallas, Vice-President of the European Commission and Transport Commissioner who addressed the 2nd RISE Workshop on 'Ethical and Policy Implications of Global Mobility and Security' are available.
The 2nd RISE workshop on Global mobility and security took place in Brussels on 25-26 March 2010.
Speaking Notes of Commissioner Siim Kallas
"Aviation security is an area where the European Commission has always shown a strong interest in terms of the overriding need to protect travellers from attacks on civil aviation but also in terms of ensuring the proper balance between security and other important aspects, such as travel convenience, privacy and the protection of personal data, and operational factors.
I wish to stress that, thanks to the action taken at the European level since the attacks of 11 September 2001 in New York, we developed an extremely high level of security in civil aviation and we have made European airports and access to the aircraft more secure.
We have established binding and uniform European standards which did not exist before 2001, the application of which is the subject of a very strict follow-up thanks to the teams of inspectors of the European Commission which perform in Europe. Since 2001, despite several attempts, we have succeeded in protecting our citizens from other attacks in the air sector. However the attempted terrorist attack on flight NW 253 to Detroit on 25th December 2009 has again confirmed the reality of the threat against civil aviation.
The question which arises now is how to further enhance aviation security, and the development of new technologies.
Security scanners can detect the objects dissimulated near the body in a more efficient way than the portals installed to the airports which detect only metals. For this reason they could represent an effective alternative to the full hand search performed by the security agents. As you know, the European Parliament, by a resolution of October 2008, highlighted the importance of personal freedoms, human dignity and health.
Several Member States have, as part of their response to the Amsterdam-Detroit flight incident, started to use security scanners as a complementary means of screening at airports. These actions are taken in conformity with current European legislation permitting Member States to take stricter measures than those existing at European level. But the question which arises is to know if an action is necessary at European level to frame in a common and uniform way the use of such technologies.
In the future I see three possible EU policy actions that deserve consideration:
First, regarding the use of "security scanners" at airports.
The Commission has collected and is analysing the results of a wide-consultation process which addressed the questions related to the personal freedoms, to human dignity and to the ' health ' aspects. We also assess cost-effectivness.
I consider that an EU framework would guarantee better uniform application of security and fundamental rights standards throughout the single aviation market. It would be the best way to protect both our citizens and their fundamental rights in accordance with common rules which offer a high level of protection. I do not believe that individual action by certain countries is the best option, since it can lead to disparity and divergent rules.
The Commission's report on security scanners will be presented in April. This report will particularly address the issues raised in the EP Resolution from 2008.
Secondly, beyond looking at new technologies, I do believe that the response to an increased aviation security cannot lie in simply adding another layer to the existing aviation security system implemented at EU airports. Already now, the queuing at control points during peak times demonstrates that this traditional approach is reaching its limits.
Therefore, the Commission intends to find ways to allow our law enforcement services and security screening staff to act in a more targeted manner when implementing security controls. Instead of treating every individual passenger as a potential high risk passenger, prior and timely identification of those passengers most likely to pose a high risk as well as unpredictable variations of control techniques need to be looked at.
This is not an easy task, but we need to work in this direction, since, as experience shows, terrorists keep adapting their strategies constantly to every new measure. This technical work will have to be done, and the Commission will do so, in close cooperation with Member States and stakeholders.
Finally, it has become evident that the European airports are the last line of defence in the fight against the attacks in this sector. While the co-operation with the security authorities of Member States is very close it is obvious that only an overall approach centred primarily on the international cooperation of the information services will enable us to fight terrorism effectively.
I am convinced that elements of the proper response to this incident lie in strengthening this international cooperation, both bilaterally and multilaterally.
In a bilateral framework, the Trans-Atlantic link is essential because of the traffic volumes on this market. Close cooperation with the U.S.A. through our aviation agreement remains a priority to ensure more effective protection for our citizens, and at the same time to aim for one-stop security. More generally, we will need to reflect about options to improve the security of flights arriving from third countries where passengers continue their journey via an EU airport.
This is an important point inside the current system which needs to be addressed in the discussion within the ICAO.
In conclusion, today the European Commission confirms its strong commitment to enhance European action to strengthen the protection of our citizens through reinforced common security rules at European level, while at the same time ensuring compliance with existing EU law and a proper balance between security and other important aspects, such as fundamental rights and freedom of passengers."