Brussels, 28/01/2010 (Agence Europe) - For the moment at any rate, and while awaiting an impact analysis from the Commission, MEPs are not convinced of the usefulness of body scanners as a way of beefing up airport security. “We would like to know to what extent they would be efficient,” given that they are “quite intrusive instruments”, said Simon Busuttil (EPP, Malta) in the civil liberties committee meeting on Wednesday 27 January. Timothy Kirkhope (ECR, UK) underlined the “great cost implications” of using body scanners. Judith Sargentini (Greens/EFA, Netherlands), who went to Schipol Airport to see the second generation scanners being used there, said that she believed that this type of machine “could satisfy our conditions”. For MEPs, however, sharing information remained the key to preventing terrorists from embarking on aeroplanes. “Connecting the dots is the main problem,” opined Alexander Alvaro (ALDE, Germany). “The Detroit flight confirms that civil aviation remains a key target for terrorists,” EU Counter-terrorism Co-ordinator Gilles de Kerkhove told the committee. “Besides the importance of data sharing, there is a need to improve our ability to digest data coming from different sources,” he added, as the partial success of the Detroit attempt resulted “mainly from a failure to connect the dots”. He said that much more than deploying new devices in airports could be done to make flying safer, for example, an agreement could be sought with the US on sharing terrorist watch lists. Some member states, he said, were testing body scanners, and he wondered if it would not be better to harmonise matters across Europe.
The transport committee, which has competence on the substance of this issue, backed a joint approach with regard to the use of body scanners, although opinion was split as to their effectiveness. Saïd El Khadraoui (S&D, Belgium); and Eva Lichtenberger (Greens, Austria) pointed out that body scanners could only detect objects on someone's body, not inside it. “If we start using these scanners, terrorists will simply start swallowing the explosives - then what do we do?” they wondered. Gesine Meissner (ALDE, Germany) was more in favour of using the technology: “We cannot have total security, but if we can improve security by using scanners that are not harmful to passengers, we should seriously consider doing so,” she said.
Matthias Ruete, representing the European Commission, said that proposals on the introduction of body scanners would be brought forward within the next six months, but only if all questions relating to health and privacy had been properly addressed and the technology was proved effective. The Commission is expected to present its impact analysis (effectiveness, effects on health, privacy issues, cost) at the end of March or the start of April. EU transport ministers will debate air security issues, including the use of body scanners at the informal transport ministers' meeting in Corunna on 12-13 February. “A joint position is expected to be adopted by consensus, otherwise it will not be worth anything,” Spanish Public Works Minister José Lopez Blanco said on Wednesday. (A.By./B.C./transl.rt)