The European Commission on Wednesday issued Greece with a warning over its failure to set up a program for improving the safety of airlines and airports.
Under European Union rules, national authorities must develop and implement a program to monitor the effectiveness of national civil aviation security and compliance.
"While Greece was required to do so since 19 July 2003, no national quality control program has yet been formally approved," the European Union executive said.
The EU rules from 2002 have been aimed at tightening aviation security through reinforced measures, including national quality control programs.
These programs involve regular monitoring of airports and airlines operating in the EU. It also calls for making inspectors available to check national airports.
In September 2004 two Greek planes were diverted from their scheduled Athens-New York service after bomb threats forced them to make emergency landings. In both cases, searches turned up nothing.
The Commission's warning is in the form of a reasoned opinion, the last step before it decides whether to file suit at the European Court of Justice.
