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As a member of the United Nations, the Netherlandsattaches great importance to international agreements on the prevention of terrorism. In fact, it was involved in the conclusion of several of them. At present, the main legal instruments for preventing terrorism are contained in twelve UN conventions. The oldest one dates from 1953, while the most recent was signed in 1999. The United Nations assists its member states with the implementation of the agreements laid down in the conventions.
The Chicago Convention (on the security of civil aviation) is another important international agreement. Annex 17, which forms an integral part of the Convention, lays down requirements for civil aviation security. These include the obligation to search passengers and their baggage for weapons and explosives.
More information
- Convention of Chicago02-10-2007 | pdf-document, 71 KB
- UN Conventions
Europe
The attacks in the United Stateson 11 September 2001placed the fight against terrorism high on the European Union’s agenda. For example, the European Union has appointed a Counterterrorism Coordinator. At the time of the attacks in the United States, only seven of the then fifteen EU member states had specific legislation on terrorism. Now, all twenty-five member states are in the process of adopting legislation to combat terrorism. At the same time, it is important that they continue to intensify their cooperation in the fight against terrorism, from exchanging information all the way to operating joint investigation teams. For an overview of all EU measures in the field of counterterrorism, see the website of the EU Counterterrorism Coordinator.
Civil aviation security
The Netherlandsis a member of the European Civil Aviation Conference, which has produced its own policy document on civil aviation security. This document, known as ‘Document 30’, fleshes out the requirements contained in Annex 17 of the Chicago Convention and contains several supplementary guidelines.
In response to the events of 11 September 2001, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union adopted Regulation (EC) No. 2320/2002 of 16 December 2002 establishing common rules in the field of civil aviation security. The Regulation introduces a basic security standard that must be applied by all EU member states and corresponds in substance to Document 30. This Regulation is currently being revised.
