EU Member States have tended to be “slow starters” in establishing the legal and operational processes and procedures required to select, authorise, train and monitor organisations and/or individuals to operate as independent validators. This is understandable as the procedure where known consignors remit validation fees to approved independent validators, are new and unfamiliar to the vast majority of appropriate authorities.

With the current international interest in implementing similar schemes in third-countries, perhaps the time has come to look again at an EU-wide implementation, operated by a centralised EU certification authority.

A central EU wide validation programme, established, operated and possibly funded on behalf of DG-MOVE by the Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency (“the Ten-T Agency”), could most certainly address the challenges faced by Member States appropriate authorities, which are described in detail in this newsletter.

The authors believe that a central EU wide known consignor validation programme initiated by the Commission could re-enforce Community leadership in promoting air cargo security standards. It could significantly reduce the administrative and financial burdens being incurred by multi-national manufacturers and shippers, who must today be validated by separate certification authorities in each of the EU Member States in which they operate.

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