Civil aviation security

The Commission presents its annual report on the implementation of Regulation (EC) N° 300/2008 on common rules in the field of civil aviation security. The report covers the period from 1 January to 31 December 2014.

The report notes that a high level of aviation security continues to be ensured in the EU in order to protect civil aviation against acts of unlawful interference.

Inspections: Commission inspections have confirmed a stable level of compliance with EU requirements in aviation security.

• In total, nine appropriate authority inspections were carried out during 2014. For most Member States, these inspections showed significant improvements from previous inspections. The deficiencies most commonly found in 2014 were similar to those identified throughout the third cycle and mainly related to minor discrepancies in the full alignment of the National Aviation Security Programmes and limitations in the implementation of the National Quality Control Programmes.
• Twenty-five initial inspections of airports were conducted during 2014, a similar number to those carried out in 2013. Most of the deficiencies found still stem, like in the past, from human factor issues. These mainly occur in the areas of screening and aircraft security as well as in the implementation of certain cargo security requirements. These human factor issues should be addressed through increased training and supervision.

On the other hand, 2014 saw improvements in the compliance with requirements relating to security controls for airport and in-flight supplies.

Commission recommendations for corrective action were overall followed up satisfactorily, but the inspections' findings 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, initiating infringement proceedings if necessary.

Legislation and supplementary tools: in continuation of the consolidation process initiated in 2013, the Commission adopted in June 2014 a further legislative package aiming at clarifying, harmonising and simplifying the existing aviation security measures (Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 687/2014). Member States and stakeholders welcomed the changes, which improve legal clarity, so as to avoid diverging interpretations of the legislation.

The package also included an alignment of the customs' authorised economic operator programme and the aviation security regime for regulated agents and known consignors. This alignment allows for mutual recognition of certain activities carried out by the respective authorities, facilitating the concerned industry and government authorities, while at the same time maintaining current security levels.

Following the outcome of the EU risk assessment focusing on passenger related risks, work was carried out to increase the explosive detection capability. One of the main changes adopted in 2014 concerns the use of dedicated means for detecting explosives hidden on passengers (Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 278/2014). The work resulted in legislation defining the use of explosive trace detection (ETD) equipment for the screening of passengers, baggage and cargo. The use of ETD in the passenger and cabin baggage screening processes will become mandatory as of September 2015. In parallel, two further rounds of air cargo risk assessments were carried out. New aviation security implementing legislation adopted in the year 2014 will further refine the legal framework under Regulation (EC) No 300/2008 and its implementing rules.

New initiatives: significant progress was made in one of the most important and challenging files, namely the roadmap for the development of technologies in aviation security. In relation to cargo, the Commission continues to work closely with Member States in order to negotiate the implementation of a regime for advance cargo information analysis. In this context, cooperation with customs continued.

Dialogue with international organisations and third countries: on the international scene, the Commission participated effectively in all relevant International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) events and fora where it continued to play an important role in the coordination of the EU’s position and strategy as regards aviation security policy internationally. The Commission fully engaged with key third country partners and regional organisations.  A particular emphasis was put on awareness raising activities in the African region in order to facilitate the smooth implementation of the inbound cargo and mail requirements.