Emergency action to ensure safety of civil aviation

Recommendation 674 (1972)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

See Doc. 3146, report of the Legal Affairs Committee. Text adopted by the Standing Committee acting on behalf of the Assembly on 29 June 1972.

The Assembly,

1. Profoundly shocked by the serious proportions taken by acts of violence committed on board and upon disembarkation from civil aviation ;

2. Abhorring the fact that these acts have endangered the lives of air passengers and even led to the murder of innocent persons in atrocious circumstances ;

3. Deeply regretting that, in some recent cases, safety measures taken at European airports have not been adequate to prevent such violent crimes ;

4. Referring to its Recommendations 599 (1970), 613 (1970) and 630 (1971) and to its Resolution 450 (1970) ;

5. Noting the reply given to Recommendation 613 (1970) by the Committee of Ministers, but regretting that none of the substantive measures advocated by the Assembly was taken ;

6. Considering that the proposals formulated in Recommendation 613 are as valid today as they were in 1970 ;

7. Welcoming the conventions concluded within the framework of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), that is to say :

7.1 the Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft (Tokyo, 14 September 1963) ;

7.2 the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft (The Hague, 16 December 1970) ;

7.3 the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation (Montreal, 23 September 1971) ;

8. Considering the obvious advantages of ensuring that Council of Europe member States achieve as much harmonisation as possible when implementing these conventions in their national legislation and believing that the European Committee on Crime Problems (ECCP) might usefully deal with this matter,

9. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers :

a take urgent action on the proposals made in its Recommendation 613 (1970), or convene as soon as possible an ad hoc Committee of High Officials in order to consider the best ways and means of giving urgent effect to the proposals made in its Recommendation 613 (1970), and instruct the Secretary General to invite organisations concerned to submit their proposals and observations to that committee ;

b urge all member States of the Council of Europe which have not yet done so to become parties to the international conventions of Tokyo, the Hague and Montreal mentioned in paragraph 7 above ;

c instruct the ECCP to make a study on the application of penal law in respect of crimes committed against civil aviation and include this activity in the Intergovernmental Work Programme of the Council of Europe for 1973-74.