The first measures contributing to strengthening the security of maritime container transport have been agreed by the EU and the US. The measures, which will facilitate legitimate trade through mutually acceptable reciprocal security standards and industry partnership programs, have been adopted in the framework of the agreement to extend the EU/US Customs Agreement to include trade security co-operation, signed in Washington on 22 April 2004 (see IP/04/525). The measures adopted in the framework of the EC-US Joint Customs Co-operation Committee include creation of an information exchange network, the agreement on minimum requirements…