Prior to 11 September 2001 the EU had no legislative competence in the field of aviation security and it was the responsibility of each individual EU Member State. Following the terrorist attacks in the United States the EU decided to develop a common EU aviation security regime.
Since 2002 the European Commission has established common rules aimed at protecting persons and goods from unlawful inteference with civil aircrafts.
Given the need for more flexibility in adopting security measures in order to meet evolving risks and to allow new technologies to be introduced, the initial framework Regulation (EC) N° 2320/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council establushing common rules in the field of civil aviation was replaced by Regulation (EC) N° 300/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council.
developed a legal framework to ensure a high level of security in civil aviation throughout the EU. At the same time, the aim of the EU aviation security policy is to ensure the proper balance between the security and other important aspects, such as travel convenience, privacy and protection of personal data and operational factors.
In order to fulfill these aims, the European Commission is working together with the Member States and various stakeholders on further development of an efficient EU civil aviation security policy through:
- authorization of the general use of the security scanners at the EU airports;
- working on replacing the ban on liquids, aerosols and gels with the secure screening procedures;
- improving the security of the EU bound cargo and mail departing at airports outside the EU;
- improving the transparency and ensuring cost-relatedness and non-discrimination when levying charges at the airports.