Security initiative expands

The Homeland Security Department and the European Union have agreed to expand the DHS Container Security Initiative throughout Europe.

Under the agreement, DHS and the European Union will establish minimum standards for risk-management techniques and improve public-private partnerships to secure the logistics chain of international trade. The initiative is run by the DHS Customs and Border Protection Bureau.

"The European Union and the United States are the two largest trading blocs in the world," said Irish Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy, who signed the agreement for the European Union. "We, therefore, have the strongest possible incentive for ensuring that trans-Atlantic sea container traffic is subjected to the highest practical level of security checks without impeding the expeditious flow of trade."