The Moscow conference closed with a Joint Statement of EUR/ NAT Member States stating “We commend the leadership role of ICAO in strengthening aviation security at the global and regional levels, and urge ICAO to continue to reinforce cooperation amongst all aviation security stakeholders…”
Following the Moscow conference, the first EUR/NAT Aviation Security Group (ENAVSECG) meeting was conducted in July 2012. Meanwhile the ENAVSECG, a meeting addressed to all 56 States in the area of accreditation of the EUR/NAT Office, international organizations and industry, met five times providing fora unique, across the region aviation security forum. The ENAVSECG is guided by a team of chair persons representing States from across the ICAO European Region.
The ENAVSECG is the AVSEC meeting connecting the States of the whole Region, and plays an important role in these times of constant and increased threats to aviation. This mechanism is promoting a better understanding amongst States in the Eastern and Western Europe, Central Asia and North Africa. It allows as well for a direct communication amongst States, international organizations and industry in the entire ICAO European Region allowing for better coordination and cooperation. It fosters a harmonised implementation of ICAO Annex 17 and ICAO Annex 9 security relevant Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS) by all States.
The ENAVSECG addresses not only the “classical” AVSEC topics (e.g. airport security, cargo security etc.) but constitutes as well a platform to exchange information on capacity building and training initiatives and discuss, from an AVSEC perspective, new evolving cross-cutting topics such as cybersecurity, overflight of conflict zones, Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS). If offers to all participants an opportunity to share their innovative concepts and responses to their fast developing needs towards a smarter aviation security.
The ENAVSECG is growing and maturing year after year, fully understanding that aviation is global and effective aviation security needs to be globally connected.
The next ENAVSECG meeting (ENAVSECG/6) is scheduled for 4 to 6 July 2017.
This article was originally written for the ICAO EUR/NAT Office’s Newsletter (Issue 1) on May 2017. A full list of their newsletters can be found here.