The European Parliament has posted a bill asking for member states to pick up some of the additional airport security costs facing the industry after 11 September. The bill also proposes mandatory 100% security screening for airport staff and surprise airport inspections.
The proposals will now go through the conciliation process, where the Parliament and the Council of Transport Ministers will try and reach some sort of compromise on the issue. Member states have been reluctant to foot the bill for increased costs, and a first reading of the proposals, drawn up by Member of the European Parliament Jacqueline Foster, were thrown out by the Council in December. "They rejected everything we said," Foster complains.
These proposals asked the member states to foot the whole bill for the additional security measures. By the second reading, passed overwhelmingly by the European Parliament in mid-May, this was moderated to a "proportion" of the costs. The Council will put forward its response at its next meeting in Luxembourg in mid-June.
Foster notes that the member states supported the principle of additional security measures at last year's ICAO meeting in Montreal. Then, when it came to being asked to fund the extra security measures, "they come back home and throw their hands up in the air", she says.
The proposals draw on the recommendations of the 38-member European Civil Aviation Conference's (ECAC) Document 30 on airport security, and Foster says the 23 states outside the European Union (EU) have agreed to abide by the recommendations (other than the cost element), such as airport inspections and mandatory staff screening.
"The new measures will restore public confidence, assisting the aviation industry, the tourism sector and the EU as a whole," says Foster. "Gone are the days when there could be a lower standard of security for staff working in restricted areas than for passengers."
One of the key problems is that the responsibility for the cost of security varies between states, leaving the possibility that security cost hikes may distort competition. Philippe Hamon, director general of ACI Europe, says: "Many EU governments still refuse to shoulder their inescapable duty to protect their citizens at airports and on board aircraft. This must not be allowed to continue."
ACI Europe points out that in the USA, $1.5 billion has been authorised for 2002 and 2003 to reimburse airports for additional security measures while most European airports are still awaiting any state help. "For many airports struggling with increased security costs and insurance premiums, governmental assistance is imperative to their survival and the safety of all passengers," says Hamon.
Source: Airline Business
