Officials: EU, US agree on air cargo screening

[October 31, 2008]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- The European Union has agreed to meet U.S. standards for air cargo screening for half of the cargo on U.S.-bound passenger flights by February and all cargo on all flights by 2010, U.S. government officials said Thursday.

This fulfills an important post-Sept. 11 recommendation intended to lower the threat of a terrorist shipping something dangerous on a commercial aircraft with passengers. The change moves flights originating in Europe closer to the level of security now in place for international flights originating in the United States.

Intelligence continues to show that terrorists are targeting the aviation industry, as evidenced by the 2006 plot to use liquid explosives to blow up U.S.-bound flights from Britain. In addition, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has said Europe is a platform for terrorism against the United States.

A Homeland Security Department official described the agreement on condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement of the new policy, expected Friday.

The agreement, long in the works, establishes consistent screening requirements for air cargo between the U.S. and the EU. For instance, the EU and the U.S. will use the same screening equipment, provide the same training to screeners and impose the same security requirements for the facilities where the cargo is screened. There are about 300 flights a day from EU countries to the U.S.

Currently, 95 percent of flights within the U.S. and departing from the U.S. undergo cargo screening. For security reasons, officials would not say what percentage of EU flights are screened now.

Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. has entered into many agreements with other countries to enhance aviation security. This is among the most extensive, covering the 27-nation EU and applying the same cargo screening policies as the U.S.

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On the Net:

Homeland Security Department:
http://www.dhs.gov/

European Union:
http://europa.eu/abc/index_en.htm

[Associated Press; By EILEEN SULLIVAN]

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