MEPs Remain Wary of Travel Security Enhancement Proposals

Members of the European Parliament have voiced reservations about new proposals to enhance European airport security measures. Photo by washingtonpost.com

Interior ministers from the EU and US have agreed on the need to enhance airport screening of passengers, to increase onboard security and to improve the sharing of data.

Meeting on Thursday in Toledo, Spain, EU ministers announced they would come up with specific proposals for improving security, both on land and in the air. In addition to examining effective systems, they have undertaken to study potential impact on health and compatibility with individual rights.

The EU Commission has been given a mandate to speed up its assessments of a scheme to introduce body scanners throughout Europe. The issue has already proved contentious in several member states and among privacy rights lawyers and lobby groups.

Great Britain and the Netherlands already have this technology in place. France and Italy are carrying out feasibility studies. Germany, initially sceptical of these devices, now says it may reach a decision by mid-2010.

EU countries may also agree to share passengers data among themselves, not only with the US, as is currently the case with the Passenger Name Record (PNR) system.

According to that agreement, which came into force in 2007, US authorities such the FBI currently have access to 19 different pieces of private information about European air passengers, including name, address and bank details.

A large group of MEPs, however, have voiced their opposition to the proposals.

"It will be very difficult for the European Council to get a majority in parliament for this proposal," said Manfred Weber, deputy head of the Christian Democratic party in the European Parliament.

Jan Philipp Albrecht, justice spokesperson for the Greens, pointed out that the Lisbon Treaty, which came into force at the beginning of December, empowered the European Parliament to full participation in decision-making on internal affairs, with the power to block legislation.

The European Parliament has increasingly defined itself as a guardian of human rights, and is already embroiled in a long-term dispute with the European Council over the Swift agreement, which allows banks to pass on account details to the United States.

Meanwhile, full body scanners have been in use in Russia for almost three years, with most travelers unruffled by their use. According to Russian airport officials, the process is unobtrusive and fast, the possible risks to personal health are minimal, and their efficiency has led to labor savings.

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