Strasbourg, 23/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - Presenting the European Council in Strasbourg on Monday evening with the European Commission statement on the repercussions of recent events on air transport and industrial site security (including nuclear power stations), Commissioner Antonio Vitorino pointed out that the Commission had started assessing air transport security in the immediate aftermath of the 11 September attacks. It had suggested that Member States' experts inspect airports in other countries, but Member States had not been very enthusiastic, only two of them making proposals in this connection. Mr Vitorino added that the Commission adopted a draft Regulation on 10 October laying down common air transport security standards and granting the Commission inspection powers, and hoped that the text would be adopted in first reading under the codecision procedure. He also stressed the need for greater coordination with the United States both in terms of co-operating to tighten up security and also to head off the adoption of measures that would penalise EU companies. Highlighting that Member States have taken measures to tighten up security at industrial sites, Mr Vitorino admitted that power stations pose a risk, along with chemical factories and natural gasworks and hydroelectric dams. He commented that risk assessment was being carried out by Euratom, and that the Member States were responsible for assessing other industrial sites.
The British Conservative Giles Chichester and the British Labour MEP Eryl McNally called for the risk of terrorism to be borne in mind when reviewing security measures. Ms McNally said that European citizens have to know that everything possible is being done to secure their safety. French Green Marie-Anne Isler Béguin pointed out that France had deployed ground-to-air missiles at the La Hague factory, insisting that even the sturdiest power stations could not survive a crash unscathed, adding that this confirmed the concerns long expressed by the Greens. French Communist Sylviane Ainardi highlighted the need to lock cockpit doors and have closed-circuit TV so pilots can monitor movements near the cabin during flights. She said she was shocked by recent comments to the effect that there was only capacity in Europe for 3 to 4 airlines, which amounted to encouraging mergers and restructuring, and called for the maximum effort to be made to support airlines and avoid any redundancies. Greek Neo-Democrat Konstantino Hatzidakis pointed out that people were scared of flying and called for urgent measures to step up air transport security.