Airport Security Could Suffer from Brexit

• By Sydny Shepard
• Jun 22, 2016

A political battle is currently ongoing in Britain as two sides compete for votes in Thursday, June 23, referendum. The vote is designed to settle Britain’s long-ambivalent attitude towards Europe, deciding once and for all if they should part from the European Union.

Security professionals believe that if Britain does decide to leave the EU there could be disastrous consequences, one of which being airport security.

European airport security has been a national conversation after suicide bombers killed 16 people at Brussels airport in March. The head of airports association ACI Europe said that more European cooperation, not less, is needed for Europe to face up to security threats.

While Prime Minister David Cameron says Britain would be safer inside the EU, Brexit campaigners believe that having greater control over immigration would reduce the threats and intelligence-sharing would not be harmed by withdrawing from the EU.

Augustin de Romanet, president of ACI Europe and CEO of airport operator Aeroports de Paris, said Europe is better of focusing on better intelligence cooperation and a more effective sharing of information.  He also added that meeting security challenges could be harder for both Britain and the EU in the event of a Brexit.

"Efficient, robust security is not and has never been about stopping terrorists once they are at an airport," de Romanet said. "It is about detecting and stopping them before they ever reach an airport."