On 7 September, the European Commission proposed the creation of an EU certification system for airport security equipment, in order to promote a more competitive European security industry, by introducing a single certificate, thanks to which devices approved in a Member State can also be placed on the market in the others.

The current framework is fragmented. The efficiency of the market and the free movement of goods are inhibited by national certification procedures. The existing EU legislation (Regulation (EC) n. 300/2088) sets out technical specifications and performance requirements for aviation security control equipment in EU airports, but lacks of a system of conformity assessment legally binding at EU level, necessary in order to ensure compliance with the standards developed by the Commission in all EU airports. Therefore, the equipment certified in a Member State cannot be placed on the market in other Member States.

The Commission has proposed establishing a single EU certification system based on a common testing methodology and the release of a certificate of conformity by producers valid throughout the Union, in line with the principle of mutual recognition.

Until now, Member States, in cooperation with the Commission, have tried to avoid the fragmentation of the market by providing common test methods within the framework of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), which established, in 2008, a common evaluation procedure (CEP) concerning the tests which the inspection equipment used in aviation usually undergo.

On 28 April 2015, the Commission adopted the European Agenda on Security by establishing the course of action that will allow the Union to deal effectively with issues relating to terrorism and threats to security in the Union until 2020.

After the Brussels attacks, President Juncker reiterated the need for a Security Union to be built on the European agenda based on safety, so as to effectively combat the terrorist threat. In April, the European Commission set out the steps to be taken and confirmed that during 2016 proposals will be submitted concerning the certification of airport control equipment.

Pietro Michea