Air cargo securityEU-U.S. security agreement allows cheaper, faster air cargo operations

The European Commission and the U.S. Transport Security Administration (TSA) have declared that they mutually recognize their respective air cargo security regimes from 1 June 2012 on. This recognition, following extensive negotiation, will eliminate duplication of security controls and the need to implement different regimes depending on the destination of air cargo.

What are the current EU rules?
The EU has in place very strict security controls on all cargo leaving the EU.

1. Air cargo which departs from an EU Member State must be subjected to security measures as laid down in the general regulation on aviation security (EC Regulation 300/2008). This regulation defines the security controls required for cargo leaving the EU, normally including physical screening and protection of air cargo from interference. It also establishes the conditions required to ensure a secure supply chain, for example when cargo is packed at a factory for shipment by air.
2. Under EU rules, once cargo is adequately controlled in the EU, it can transfer to another flight within the EU, without further controls provided it has been protected from interference (one stop security).
3. Following the Yemen attack, the EU went further and adopted strict new rules requiring additional controls on cargo flying into the EU from third countries under EC Regulation 859/2011. This regulation required for the first time security controls at source, before the cargo arrives in the EU.

To note, all security controls are paid for by air cargo operators, either performed in-house by the company itself or contracted out to specialized security companies.

Security controls also take time — frequently requiring cargo to be unpacked, and moved to a different facility equipped with the necessary equipment.

U.S. air cargo controls
In addition to the EU controls, the TSA requires that air cargo flown into the United States has to be submitted to their own controls defined in security programs issued by the TSA. The United States is the only major EU trading partner which imposes such additional requirements today.

The U.S. air cargo controls typically includes:

• Physical screening, very similar in nature to that already performed in the EU.
• Because screening has to take place at the last point of departure before the United States, this does not recognize one stop security in the EU and the secure supply chain of the EU. For example, air cargo destined for the United States and physically screened in Budapest, but transferring in Frankfurt, has to be rescreened in