EU to adopt third countries’ liquids proposals in July

The EU Aviation Security Committee has informally endorsed the proposal for recognising duty-free liquids bought at some third-country airports. The Committee will make two "minor changes" to the European Commission’s proposal, "but nothing that radically alters its scope," said European Travel Retail Council secretary general Keith Spinks.

The proposal will be formally adopted in July, enabling the EU to treat duty-free liquids from selected third countries as secure, cutting the number of liquid confiscations at European airports. ETRC plans to use the interim period to work with the EC to identify key airports. Campaigners expect the policy to come into effect in Autumn 2007.

Spinks said: "From a European perspective, the sooner we can start selling to passengers transferring in the US, the better. We also hope that key Middle East and Asia/Pacific airports will be prioritised. The bad news is that it looks like we will not be able to recognise any third-country airports until after the summer season. This is due to strict EU rules on the adoption of new legislation, which cannot be ignored."

He continued: "This is a breakthrough and is the result of much hard work and lobbying across Europe, but we must not lose the momentum. The wide implementation of this proposal is crucial if it is to serve any purpose. We need to push to have as many third-country airports included on this list as quickly as possible. That is the immediate challenge for ETRC and our members."

Spinks also thanked the travel-retail industry for its efforts in supporting ETRC’s campaign. "Thanks to you the EU has taken the first step towards bringing our industry back to normal."