A new push that has developed to re-introduce body scanners at airports in the European Union, the fall-out of an alleged attempt by a Nigerian man to blow up an airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day, a flight that originated in Amsterdam, is being rebuffed by some Members of the European Parliament who said they are unsure the devices are answer to stopping terrorists. Doubts over the merits of body scanners at Europe’s airports were aired when MEPs in two committees met to analyze the idea, which is meeting fierce resistance from European lawmakers and groups who say the machines, a type of X-ray, invade privacy because they can see through a person’s clothing and let security staff see them naked. MEPs had blocked the EU-wide introduction of the machines in 2008 for privacy reasons.  So far, the Netherlands, Britain and Italy have said they may use the scanners on US bound flights. The EU’s anti-terror Tsar, Gilles de Kerchove, told MEPs in the Civil Liberties Committee that they should be used if they are “privacy friendly and health friendly.” That was going on as the Parliament’s Transport Committee discussed the issue with its Chairman, Brian Simpson of the United Kingdom, who said “We want to make travel as safe as humanly possible but people who believe that body scanners are the answer live in cloud cuckoo land.” The Parliament will take up the question this week during their Strasbourg plenary session in France. The European Commission is currently working on proposed EU-wide legislation on the issue.
Since the attack was foiled, the scanners, which use millimeter-wave technology that reveal the naked image of a passenger, have been put forward as a way of detecting explosive devices that are not picked up by metal detectors – like those containing liquids, chemicals or plastic explosive, but many MEPs said they don’t believe a scanner would have detected the alleged bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, although he was carrying explosives in his underwear which the machine would have seen. British MEP Philip Bradbourn told the Transport Committee: “The US President openly attributed the incidents which took place on December 25 last year to a systemic failure on the part of the US Intelligence Services,” discounting the need for scanners altogether. Concerns were also raised about the cost of the machines, which go for about €115,000 each, and of all the changes that would have to be made to airports.
“Will we have to check in three hours before?” asked Maltese member Simon Busuttil. Besides that, questions were raised about civil liberty aspects concerning passengers appearing naked to technicians. De Kerchove told the Civil Liberties meeting that €200 million had been allocated from the EU for research into aviation security and especially such measures, but that more research was needed on body scanners. But the technology route did not convince all MEPs on the Civil Liberties Committee. German MEP Alexander Alvaro said< “I have the impression that technology has become the new religion in counter-terrorism. That’s not the way.” Also, fears were raised that materials with a low density, such as powder, liquid or thin plastic and clothing millimeter waves could pass through and the object would not be shown. High density objects like knives and guns reflect the millimeter waves and leave an image.
The approach de Kerchove set out to MEPs was that the EU and the US now needed to start sharing the terrorist “watch lists” to better coordinate their response. However, he acknowledged the civil liberties and legal obstacles that still need to be overcome. He said he was also worried about the radicalization of Americans and Europeans going to countries like Yemen and returning as part of what he termed an “Al-Qaeda regional franchise.” The need for more and new security measures, such as the introduction of full body scanners in airports and intrusive data-sharing deals with the United States, are not necessarily the right answer to terrorist threats, MEPs said. They also talked about it with Jonathan Faull, head of the European Commission’s justice department. “We have enough data” said MEP Ernst Strasser of Austria. He said that priority should be given to evaluating the existing instruments and making sure that tools such as the Schengen information system and the Visa information system are made fully operational. Timothy Kirkhope of the United Kingdom said, “It is never possible to predict what a terrorist would do.”