September 19 - The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) has said that, although it welcomes the European Commission's recent meetings with industry stakeholders in preparation for the launch of new obligatory EU regulations on air cargo security, m
The new regulations take effect on July 1, 2014. Under the new rules, all carriers wishing to transport cargo or mail into the EU/EFTA from a non EU/EFTA airport must ensure that an EU aviation security validation of their cargo and mail operations has been carried out by an independent expert.
The association has expressed concern that these regulations fall outside industry goals of a common, unified approach to global security standards and warns of major implementation challenges.
"Although we welcome the European Commission's recent outreach to industry stakeholders, there is still little consistency among EU/EFTA member states regarding the implementation process, and significantly more outreach is needed between the EU and non EU civil aviation authorities," said TIACA chairman, Oliver Evans.
TIACA is encouraging the European Commission to maintain vigilance over the regulations' implementation and continue engagement with the industry, in order to avoid the air cargo supply chain being disrupted on July 1, 2014.
"With less than a year to go until the deadline, continued communication and openness from the European Commission on the availability of accredited validators, and their ability to accomplish this task on time, is absolutely vital," Evans added.
The association has conveyed its commitment to participate in the continued dialogue on the development of risk-based air cargo supply chain security.
