European Parliament approves body scanners to enhance aviation security

European Parliament approves body scanners to enhance aviation security

2011-07-06 22:18:37 GMT+7 (ICT)

BRUSSELS (BNO NEWS) -- Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on Wednesday passed a resolution to allow body scanners at European Union airports to enhance aviation security.

The Parliament remarked that the scanners must protect the passengers' health, dignity and privacy. The European Commission is expected to decide whether to allow Member States to use body scanners at airports on Thursday.

MEPs will have the power to overturn the Commission's decision within three months. They urged Member States to deploy technology which is not harmful for human health and prohibited the use of scanners using ionizing radiation due to health risks.

Furthermore, the resolution stressed that the scanning process should be random and without any discriminatory criteria such as sex, race, color, ethnicity, genetic features, language, religion or belief.

"Particular attention should be paid to the welfare of pregnant women, children, the elderly and the disabled," said the Parliament in a statement. "Passengers should have the right to refuse body scanning and opt for alternative screening method."

The resolution also called for protecting human dignity, privacy and intimacy during the scanning by producing only stick figures and not body images. Any resulting data must be destroyed after the passenger successfully passes the security control.

MEPs urged Member States to lift the carry-on liquids ban by 2013 and improve checks on air cargo, especially those arriving from non-EU countries. Any Member State could impose more stringent measures by only covering the additional costs.

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