Patriciello pushes the European Commission to address the uneven adoption of advanced CT scanner technology across airports, which challenges current 100 ml liquid carry-on limits and creates inconsistent travel experiences. Passengers, airports, and airlines face the consequences of a fragmented system, with some benefiting from faster security checks while others remain bound by older, slower procedures.
This response comes after Aldo Patriciello, an MEP affiliated with the European People's Party (PfE), posed a parliamentary question on October 16, 2025, seeking clarity on the Commission’s strategy to harmonize scanning technologies and ease liquid restrictions.
The Commission acknowledges the benefits of Explosive Detection Systems for Cabin Baggage using computed tomography (CT), currently deployed in a handful of airports, improving both security and throughput. However, it stops short of immediate regulatory change, announcing plans to launch a formal process in 2026 to modernize the EU aviation security framework. The response does not include specific dates for universal rollout, budgetary commitments, or detailed targets but promises a forward-looking approach emphasizing transparency and operational feasibility.
Policy-wise, the Commission favors a gradual, proportionate deployment of cutting-edge screening tech, maintaining the One-Stop Security system to keep consistent security levels during intra-EU transfers. This suggests a cautious strengthening of EU supervisory powers over airport security standards, balancing national airport autonomy with integration.
Stakeholders affected include EU passengers, who gain convenience in better-equipped airports but face inequalities in others; airports lacking funding or access to new tech, which risk competitive disadvantage; airlines potentially benefiting from less passenger delay; and EU regulatory bodies, tasked with overseeing this modernization amid operational complexity.
The Commission must respond within weeks, and its upcoming regulatory initiative will signal the extent to which its policies will push a uniform adoption of CT screening and rethinking of the liquid restrictions across Europe’s airports.
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