A high-level discussion between the European Union authorities and the US will take place on Wednesday 17 May afternoon as part of the US aircraft ban on electronic devices.
Political and technical officials will carry out a threat assessment affecting the two parties, as well as an examination of the common approach for tackling this threat. It should be pointed out that last Friday, a telephone conference took place between John Kelly, the US Secretary of State for Homeland Security, EU ministers and Commissioners Violeta Bulc (Transport) and Dimítris Avramopoulos (Internal affairs) (EUROPE 11787).
This followed information received by the Commission about a possible extension of the US list of airports where passengers are obliged to place their electronic devices in the hold during flights, rather than take them on board. No decision was made during this conference but the Commission highlighted the need for “common and coordinated action”, according to the European Commission spokesperson, Margaritis Schinas. We are not aware, however, if the Secretary of State will be present in Brussels during this meeting. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)