Civil aviation security

In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 300/2008, the Commission presents a report on the common rules on civil aviation security. The report covers the period 1 January to 31 December 2011. It describes the Commission's inspection activity during 2011 and recalls developments in the area of legislation, trials and studies, and international relations.

Inspections: the Commission monitored 10 appropriate authorities during 2011, all of which had been subject to previous Commission inspections. For several Member States these inspections showed significant improvements from the past.

·        The deficiencies most commonly found in 2011 were similar to those in 2010 and related to the yet outstanding full alignment of the National Aviation Security Programmes and the National Quality Control Programmes to the new legal framework of Regulation (EC) 300/2008.

·        As regards implementation of the measures, there was still evidence in some Member States of a lack of capacity to detect and correct failures swiftly. Some Member States had failed to monitor all required aspects of the legislation and follow-up activities were sometimes inadequate. Sanctions were provided in the legislation of all Member States, but were not always applied in case deficiencies were not corrected swiftly.

With regard to initial inspections, 19 initial inspections of airports were conducted during 2011, the same number as carried out in 2010. The overall percentage of core measures found to be in compliance in 2011 was 80% and thus identical to the compliance rate in 2010.

Deficiencies found in the area of traditional measures tended, by and large, to stem from human factor issues and did not change significantly from previous years.

·        Non-compliances in the area of traditional measures at the airports inspected during 2011 mainly related to the quality of staff screening as well as to certain cargo security requirements. In particular, the inadequate quality of hand searches of staff continued to be a challenge.

·        In the area of cargo, most non-compliance related to the selection of the most suitable methods for screening, given the nature of the consignment, and standards for applying them. These human factor issues require careful attention and, until new technological and/or procedural alternatives are available, should be addressed through intensified training and supervision.

·        Furthermore, certain additional measures introduced under the new regulatory framework had not yet been fully implemented at the airports inspected in 2011. Non-compliances arose in relation to methods and standards of screening of in-flight and airport supplies (where a secure supply chain had not yet been fully deployed) and missing risk assessments in order to establish adequate means and frequencies of patrols at airports. Member States’ appropriate authorities should actively pursue the implementation of these new provisions.

Commission recommendations for corrective action were on the whole followed up satisfactorily and confirm the importance of a robust EU inspection regime and of adequate quality assurance at Member State level. The Commission will continue its efforts to ensure that all legal requirements are fully and correctly implemented, using its established peer review system as well as instigating formal infringement procedures if necessary.

On the legislative front, further detailed implementing rules were adopted during 2011 mainly to permit the deployment of security scanners under certain conditions and to increase security of cargo and mail being transported into the EU. These and other measures are also being taken forward on the international front in contacts with international organisations and third countries in order to increase global aviation security standards.