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Frank O’Connell: “Certain” the solution will not come from ICAO Photo: Cannes Dailies |
EUROPE. ‘Solutions’ to the duty free transit passenger problem within the EU are being considered, according to EU Commission Director of Transport Security Marjeta Jager. But they will probably be applied after the key summer holiday trading period.
Jager was speaking at a conference on air safety organised by the European Parliament’s ALDE Group in Brussels on 2 May. Another speaker was European Travel Retail Council (ETRC) President Frank O’Connell.
According to a report in Europolitics O’Connell reiterated that the transit issue is the main problem posed by the new security rules. He said at least 40% of confiscated liquids are products bought in good faith in duty free shops outside the EU. Under current EU aviation security rules, any passenger from a non-EU, EEA or Swiss airport entering the region with a duty free LAG of more than 100ml and then transiting onwards will have it confiscated.
“People are losing confidence. Many of those who would normally buy, are no longer buying,” he said. In addition, confusion on an international level is increasing all the time, he said, citing the one-off regulations in Australia – where duty free LAGs of more than 100ml are only being allowed into the country if purchased at “˜last port of call’ and then gate-delivered.
O’Connell said that he was “certain” that the solution would not come from the International Civil Aviation Organization [the ETRC is concerned that current ICAO proposals over-complicate any solution to the detriment of the retail trade -Ed] and recommended a response from retailers themselves, the report said.
The idea of internationally recognised, sealed tamper evident bags (STEBs) is the option currently being studied by the Commission.
Is there a chance that the rules will be amended? Not in the short term, said Marjeta Jager. “The Commission would be the first to welcome a different technical solution, but at the moment we don’t have one,” she said. Jager cited the recent opinion of a technical task force responsible for evaluating security measures every six months.
Some MEPs criticised the Commission for taking the decision alone to ban liquids in hand luggage, “showing the most elementary lack of transparency”, the report continued.
