A proposal to amend existing regulation on aviation security was already put forward by the Commission in September 2005, with the aim of harmonising current aviation security rules and to introduce new measures on in-flight security. In its first reading of the proposal, the European Parliament voted in favour of placing armed air marshals on certain flights, as suggested by the Commission (see EurActiv 20 June 2006). The proposal is to be examined by the Council of Transport Ministers on 12 October 2006.
Following the discovery of the recent attempt to attack aircrafts departing from the UK, British Home Secretary John Reid, current EU President Finland and future Presidencies Germany, Portugal, France and Slovenia, met with EU anti-terror coordinator Gijs de Vries and Commission Vice-President Franco Frattini on 16 August 2006 and agreed to step-up efforts to combat terrorism.
Proposals discussed at the meeting include the tightening of hand-luggage checks in airports, better information exchange and tighter screening of passengers, financing research on tracing commercial detonators and liquid explosives, the blocking of some websites and teaching European values to Muslim preachers.
A meeting on air transport security will be organised by the Commission on 6 and 7 September.
The 7 July bombings in London one year earlier pushed counter-terrorism up to the top of the EU agenda, but the adoption of many priority measures has been delayed because of the need for unanimous voting in the Council. The Commission is currently trying to persuade member states to give up their veto powers in the area of criminal justice so as to help with the anti-terrorism effort (see EurActiv 29 June 2006).
