The European Union (EU) has referred Germany to the European Court of Justice for failing to regularly monitor security measures at some airports.
"Inspections by the Commission have shown that Germany does not comply with the minimum frequency and the scope of controls required under EU legislation," the European Commission, the EU’s executive body, said in a statement on Thursday.
The referral to the 28-nation bloc's highest court does not “imply that German airports did not take adequate security measures,” but its means that officials failed to monitor aviation security checks, the statement added.
Germany could be fined if found in breach of airport security laws by the court.
Meanwhile, European Commission spokesman Jakub Adamowicz stressed that the decision to take Germany to the court was not related to the crash of the Germanwings Airbus A320, whose co-pilot deliberately slammed the passenger aircraft into the French Alps in March, killing all 150 people aboard.
In November 2014, the European Commission had warned that Germany could be referred to the EU's top court if it did not comply with airport security laws.
The commission had issued the warning after its inspections of airports across Germany revealed that security measures were not adequately monitored by authorities.
SSM/KA/HMV