EU, U.S. seek further co-op on aviation security

BRUSSELS, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- EU ministers met with the United States' Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano on Thursday in Toledo of Spain to improve transatlantic aviation security, nearly a month after the attempted bomb attack on an Amsterdam-Detroit flight.

The two sides met during the first day of the informal meeting of Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs of the EU. EU and the United States said in a joint statement that the two shared the responsibility to prevent terrorists and serious criminals from attacking civil aviation and the failed attack on Dec. 25 highlighted the international nature of this threat.

The two sides vowed further cooperation on aviation security as "an international threat demands an international response."

The two also discussed several measures in the fields of aviation security, information sharing, research and international activity, which will be considered at an EU-U.S. ministerial meeting in April.

"We are going to make a greater effort, and work together tirelessly and with more cooperation, as the best guarantee for preventing terrorist attacks," promised the Spanish Minister for Home Affairs, Alfredo Rubalcaba, at a press conference after the meeting.

During Thursday's session, the EU ministers asked the European Commission to speed up the report on new technologies, such as body scanners, that all EU members may adopt to guarantee safety in airports.

The vice president of the European Commission and the head of security, Jacques Barrot, said the commission "is going to speed up its report on technologies and body scanners" to evaluate the effectiveness of this technology, its possible health effects and compatibility with the right to privacy.