ETRC calls for additional funding for Aviation Security Campaign

Tina Milton

The European Travel Retail Council has launched a plea to raise €350,000 to support the final stages of the Global Aviation Security Campaign

The European Travel Retail Council (ETRC) has called on the industry to donate €350,000 ($475,858) to support the final phase of the Global Aviation Security Campaign.

The priority objectives for the final phase are to maximise the number of third countries /airports receiving EU recognition, achieve EU / US attention and make the recognition process as simple as possible.

ETRC president Frank O’Connell commented: “We have achieved so much in the last nine months but we must not lessen the political pressure for a solution to the current problems of retailing liquids to global transfer passengers. Once again, we are asking companies to dig deep into their pockets for additional funds and I will be writing individually to leading industry colleagues asking for their support.”

Coty Prestige and Kappé International have already answered a recent plea for funding by O’Connell at the UK Travel Retail Forum's AGM, where he asked the industry to maintain its commitment to finding a sustainable global solution to the “transfer passenger problem”. Coty Prestige worldwide travel-retail and export Latin America vice-president and managing director Joe Porcelli pledged a contribution of €25,000 ($33,986) to the ETRC campaign and Kappé International chairman Jacques Parson confirmed a further €25,000 in addition to the €50,000 ($67,973) he has already contributed.

The new EU regulation recently agreed and currently awaiting formal adoption under the Community’s legislative procedure provides the European Commission with the authority to reach unilateral agreements with third countries that recognises their airport’s retail supply chain as being secure. This follows the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s adoption of a global standard for a security tamper-evident bag that seals duty-free liquid purchases and agreement to protocols for securing the travel-retail supply chain.

Both were achieved through many months of hard work by the ETRC, Airports Council International Europe and other industry trade associations, who are “very grateful to the European Commission for having made this a priority issue and dealt with it in such a swift and effective manner”.