While the official speakers and delegates clearly had many issues on their minds at the congress, one theme came up over and over again, whether at the official congress sessions or coffee breaks, that being security.
The first session of the congress pretty much set the tone for the following days with the heading: “100% Transportation Security – Myth or Reality?” That the topic was going to be a fiery one, was a no-brainer. The vastly non-American audience understandably had a bone to pick with US unilateral moves to impose its own security regime on the rest of the world and in particular the cargo industry.
Of particular concern to the entire cargo world is the recent law passed in the US requiring 100 per cent screening of all cargo, including all cargo carried on passenger aircraft within 3 years.
Richard Di Nucci of the US Customs& Border Security was the first speaker and sole American on the panel, which also included representatives from the European Community (EC), DP World and FIATA. Addressing the session’s topic he said that US Customs favoured a “layered approach” to security.
“It is possible with layers that if you have 80 per cent success on all levels, you significantly increase the potential for overall success. One-hundred per cent security is not something that will necessarily occur, because threats are always changing,” he admitted.
Roeland Van Bockel, Director General for Transport & Energy, EC Directorate for Security, pointed out that 100 per cent security has never existed in Europe’s long history of trading and doesn’t exist now.
Others, like FIATA executive vice-president Jean-Claude Delen were more direct in their criticism. “It is clear that the 100 per cent container screening looks like a joke and will not achieve the purpose,” he said before going on to dismiss it as nothing more than “political window dressing”.
“While the forwarder community recognises the need for enhanced security, if the technological infrastructure currently in place does not have the capacity to absorb the introduction of 100 per cent screening, trade will come to a halt.”
“Are terrorists not the winners if trade is slowed to a crawl,’’ Delen asked poignantly. Others were equally direct with their views on the US developments, with Emirates SkyCargo’s Ram Menen describing them as “draconian”.
One delegate in the audience rose to state that much of the US moves were“violations of international law”.Responding to a question from the audience as to why the EC appeared to be letting the Americans off easy over their unilateralism, the EC’s Van Bockel replied: “In our own European way we have expressed outrage at the US unilateral moves, but Congress is very difficult to deal with, not just for us, but for Americans as well.
“We are 26 countries and each has a different degree of stake holding with the US,” he conceded.