Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council. 2012 annual report on the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 300/2008 on common rules in the field of civil aviation security

2012 marked the year in which the first transitional period for the new aviation security measures introduced by Regulation (EC) 300/2008 and its implementing provisions came to an end. This concerned the requirement to either establish a secure supply chain for in-flight supplies and airport supplies or to screen 100% of such supplies upon entry in security restricted areas at airports. In its inspections throughout the year 2012, the Commission therefore put a lot of emphasis on verifying compliance with these new requirements.

Furthermore, the supplementing provisions to Regulation (EC) 300/2008 were signifi­cantly amended. On one hand, the amendments aimed at fine-tuning or further clarifying the existing proce­dures for certain aviation security measures. On the other hand, complex new measures were introduced for air cargo and air mail being carried into the Union ("ACC3"). Finally, the regime on EU aviation security validation was significantly strenghthened. Two changes were later incorporated to ensure a secure supply chain and a reliable validation system at Third Country airports, at which air cargo and air mail bound to the Union shall be loaded onboard an aircraft, to be in place by mid 2014. This was in reaction to the Yemen air cargo bombs incident that took place in October 2010.

With regard to liquid explosives, a reappraisal on the present threat to civil aviation confirmed that the related risk must still be considered high and must be addressed by aviation security measures. However, it became clear in the course of the year that removing the current restrictions on carrying liquids, aerosols and gels (LAGs) as hand luggage by the deadline of 29 April 2013 would not be feasible due to operational difficulties with screening equipment that would likely result in significant inconvenience for air passengers. Draft legislation was prepared to revise the approach by phasing in screening, starting with duty-free LAGs by 31 January 2014.

Finally, arrangements for the mutual recognition of the respective air cargo and mail security regimes of the EU and the United States (U.S.) were concluded. This is an important achievement for EU exports and eliminates duplication in the application of security measures, and thus in turn translates into cost and time savings for air cargo and mail operators.

• Primary Source

EUR-Lex: COM(2013)523: Follow the progress of this report through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2013:523:FIN

---