Mr President, the tragic events of 11 September in the United States gave new impetus to the reinforcement of arrangements for aviation security. The European Council meeting the day after the terrorist attacks on the USA, instructed the Transport Council to evaluate the measures to be taken to improve aviation security and complete its consideration of those already proposed. The draft regulation itself was fairly straightforward and was amended at first reading. However, the attached technical annex, based on the European Civil Aviation Conference, ECAC, Document 30, was not amended until second reading due to the fact that the high-level group had been updating the annex which was only finalised last November. Whilst Parliament responded speedily to that challenge, and I thank colleagues from all parties for their support, we believe that this should not lead to a lower level of parliamentary scrutiny and reserve the right to amend in second reading the revised annex to this regulation adopted by the Council in its common position. Throughout this process, I have met with representatives from the Council and the Commission and consulted widely with the industry. The draft regulation principally concerns access control and passenger luggage and freight screening on the ground at airports and is outlined fully in my explanatory statement. The scope does not extend to onboard security which may need to be addressed at some future date. The technical standards themselves are those adopted by ECAC in 1992 in its Document 30 part 2, relating to security issues revised in January 2001 which, as already mentioned, has recently been updated. ECAC membership extends to 38 European States including all EU Member States. It is worth pointing out to Parliament, and perhaps the Council, if there is anybody there, that this agreement reached by the 38 countries, will set a precedent in so far as for the first time the agreement will have binding force upon its contracting parties. Document 30 previously had been used for general guidance only. The outcome of the Council of Transport last December was more than disappointing, as all the amendments supported by Parliament were rejected in the common position. Nevertheless as rapporteur, I took a decision to re-table all amendments which had been adopted and shall touch on five areas which are fundamental to Parliament's position. Firstly, Member States must assume responsibility for additional security costs in the light of the terrorist attacks and recognise their moral duty to protect their citizens. These attacks were against the Nation States. I have submitted an amendment to this effect, and I am now pleased to say that there is cross-party support for this measure. Secondly, inspections of airports should be unannounced if airports are to be inspected in real operating conditions, as is currently the case in some Member States. Thirdly, whilst recognising that some Member States and indeed a minority of MEPs reject the measure of 100% screening of staff, I insist that this is a pivotal point in this legislation. It should be said that some Member States already implement this measure. Terrorism has taken on a new dimension. It is misguided to believe that there should be lower standards of security for staff working in restricted areas in airports than for passengers. History has shown us that, over the last 30 years in the vast majority of cases of terrorist acts, such as hijacking and incidents such as Lockerbie and 11 September, lax security measures and personnel who have had unfettered access in airports have played a significant part. I am pleased to say that the majority of MEPs in committee overwhelmingly supported this amendment. Fourthly, it is vital that, as is the current practice in IATA and ECAC, the aviation industry itself is involved in the implementation stage of this regulation, not least because it would ensure that measures are practicable and operationally viable. Fifthly, on a general point, we are calling for more effective international cooperation in the area of exchange of information for security purposes. Finally, we are all aware of the catastrophic effects of 11 September on the aviation industry and tourist sector. Around a quarter of a million directly related jobs were lost worldwide and some fifty thousand in the EU alone. Not only big businesses were affected, but thousands of small businesses as well. This report is not the sole solution, but it is an enormous step in the right direction, providing that Member States recognise their obligation to protect their citizens by accepting their responsibility to contribute financially to these additional security measures and taking urgent action to restore public confidence, which would assist the aviation industry, the tourism sector and the European Union as a whole. I urge the Council to listen to Parliament.

Political group: PPE-DE