<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Official State Gazette (BOE) published this past week the entry into force of the cooperation agreement between Spain and the United States for the deployment of security officers on flights to, from, or between the two countries.</strong></h4> The agreement was authorized by the Council of Ministers in August 2022 and signed in Madrid in December of that same year by the then-US Ambassador to Spain, Julissa Reynoso, and the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska. The text was submitted to the Cortes Generales (Spanish Parliament) in April 2024 and entered into force on January 10. The objective of this agreement is to combat terrorist threats against civil aviation by strengthening security in combined air services between the territories of the two countries, providing, to this end, a framework for the deployment of in-flight security officers on board certain flights. The agreement is intended to be an international treaty establishing a framework for cooperation in the fight against crime in the area of aviation security, without prejudice to its subsequent development through other regulatory instruments, if circumstances so require. Cooperation will be provided with respect for the respective national legislation and international commitments assumed by both parties and guided by the principles of equality, reciprocity, and mutual assistance. Spain and the United States are parties to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, done at Chicago on December 7, 1944 ("Chicago Convention"), and to the Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft, done at Tokyo on September 14, 1963 ("Tokyo Convention"). The agreement is therefore based on the internationally accepted standards and recommended practices in the area of civil aviation security contained in the Chicago Convention, which regulate the deployment of law enforcement officers or other persons authorized to carry weapons on board aircraft in international civil aviation and permit armed security officers to travel during flights between contracting states, provided there is an agreement between the states concerned. It also takes into account the Convention between Spain and the United States on enhancing cooperation to prevent and combat serious crime, signed in Washington on June 23, 2009. As the Government indicated after submitting it to Parliament, organized crime in all its forms and international terrorism are two of the most serious problems facing the international community. In this context, the fight against transnational organized crime is a priority objective of international organizations worldwide, and aviation security is one of the most sensitive areas requiring strengthening. The agreement is structured around a preamble that expresses the importance of developing cooperation in the fight against terrorist threats to civil aviation, and ten articles that detail responsibilities and establish operating procedures within the aircraft to maintain flight safety.
