Common levels of security for European airlines and airports were agreed by the European Parliament, the EC and the Council of Ministers.
The new proposals cover screening of passengers and baggage and checks on aircraft and will replace the measures brought in in the aftermath of 9/11.
One major change will be that passengers and their baggage arriving from countries with security standards similar to those in the EC will not have to be screened again
But the new framework will also allow countries to impose tougher security measure if they think them necessary.
The proposals have been welcomed by both the Association of European Airlines (AEA) and the Airports Council International Europe.
Olivier Jankovec, ACI Europe director general, said: "The last years have brought us to a critical point with increasingly complex measures threatening our ability to offer high quality services to our passengers.
"The agreement reached, therefore, is welcome news showing a great sense of responsibility from all institutions involved.
"It will allow more flexibility and increased efficiency as the regulatory framework will reflect technology developments and reduce costly duplications."
Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus, secretary general of the AEA, said: "The 2002 Regulation has fulfilled its task of protecting airlines, airports and passengers.
"But technology has moved on, threats and risks are now better understood, and system weaknesses have been eliminated while the measures protecting against them remain in place."
But both organisations said that who paid for security measures remained an outstanding issue.
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