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The move by the European Commission
to start infringement proceedings
against several member states that
have signed individual Container
Security Initiative (CSI) agreements
with the US appears to have thrown
into question the status of the US
inspired container security
agreement.
The US, which had hoped the promise
to extend its Container Security
Initiative to another 11 European
ports, is now seeking urgent
clarification from Brussels which
was reported to be annoyed at being
excluded from early discussion on
the CSI.
The EC announced just before
Christmas that legal action had
begun against France, the
Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
All have signed bilateral agreements
with the US that allow US customs
officers to screen US-bound
containers in European ports.
The additional ports that will be
invited to participate if the
relevant governments agree include
Gioia Tauro, Livorno, Naples,
Marseilles, Barcelona, Valencia,
Gothenburg and Zeebrugge, and
Southampton, Thamesport, Liverpool
and Tilbury, which are specifically
mentioned in the US-UK agreement.
The Commission also indicated that
it would be writing to the UK and
Italy, which have signed bilateral
agreements with the US, even though
these allow for a subsequent US-EU
agreement.
The Commission believes bilateral
agreements discriminate against
those ports not directly covered by
the scheme and has sent formal
notices to four countries that have
signed up.
The declaration of principles signed
between Britain and the US states:
"To the extent that any provisions
of this declaration are clearly
superseded by the provisions of any
CSI agreement negotiated between the
United States and the European
Union, those particular provisions
will cease to have effect upon the
effective date of the US-EU
agreement."
The Commission will now ask the
Council of Ministers for a
negotiating mandate to extend the
scope of existing EU-US customs
cooperation to include cargo
security.
US Customs said negotiations between
Washington and Brussels were already
at a fairly advanced stage.
As well as extending the CSI scheme
to more ports in Europe, US Customs
is also extending the initiative to
ports outside the top 20 in terms of
US container traffic.
So far, countries representing 17 of
the top 20 ports have agreed to
participate in the CSI, which is
supported by the World Customs
Organisation and the Group of Eight
countries.
Malaysia is among the countries
whose ports are outside the top 20
ports in terms of US container
traffic with which US had held talks
with a view to concluding the CSI. |
