By Daisy Ayliffe - 6th September 2006
STRASBOURG: MEPs have attacked controversial EU handovers of air [assenger data to US security agencies.
European justice commissioner Franco Frattini came under fire on Thursday during a debate on a new EU-US passenger name record (PNR) agreement.
“The vast majority of this house is not opposed to strengthening security where necessary. But the majority are opposed to the transfer of PNR,” Green MEP Cem Ozdemir declared.
“It must be done in a reasonable way and we do not think this is the case in current proposals.”
MEPs are concerned the collection of PNR data breaches privacy and may not be used solely to fight the so-called war on terror.
“It is not clear that there is use for PNR,” Liberal MEP Sarah Ludford remarked.
“We need to know what PNR is being used for in the US. Concerns also arise over EU plans for positive profiling.”
ECJ ruling
A previous agreement between the US and the European commission to force airlines to give US authorities 34 pieces of information on passengers was opposed by MEPs and annuled by European Court of Justice (ECJ).
The ECJ said the agreement was drafted in relation to the wrong European laws and was therefore illegal.
The EU presidency and commission now have until September 30 to come up with a new agreement with the US.
“The true problem is that if we don’t have this agreement millions of EU citizens will see a reduction in the protection of their personal data,” Frattini warned MEPs.
“The EU will have lost any possibility of ensuring there are adequate levels of protection.”
Rapporteur Sophie In’t Veld told the commission the parliament felt it has been unfairly by-passed by a small group of decision makers.
She called for, “An EU policy that is not designed by a handful of ministers, an EU policy is made through democratic procure and that involves parliamentary scrutiny – ie co-decision."
Other deputies expressed fury that proposals for an EU PNR system were tabled following an alleged UK August 10 terror plot, without consultation.
“Frattini made proposals in London and I would like to understand why such important plans were discussed without parliament being informed,” Socialist MEP Martin Roure asked.
Ludford added that the EU had allowed itself to be “divided and ruled” by Washington.
“There is a pattern of a disunited EU. We are ineffective and dysfunctional and were letting our citizens down. Our policy must be to protect citizens; can we trust the commission on that?”
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