New EU Australia Agreement Improves Passenger Safety
Strasbourg -- Thursday 27 October, 2011
The European Parliament has today approved an agreement on transferring passenger data to Australia, which is aimed at protecting passenger safety in a tight framework that safeguards personal data.
The Passenger Name Records (PNR) agreement is the first of three currently in the pipeline - the other two agreements will be with the USA and Canada. The EU is also working on a PNR framework for exchanging information within the EU on which I am the European Parliament's rapporteur (lead member).
I firmly believe in and am supportive of the agreements which ensure that information about air passengers flying from the EU to Australia is made available to the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service with tight restrictions on the length of time the data can be retained (5.5 years) and strict rules concerning how the data will be overseen by the Australian Information Commissioner.
PNR data has proven invaluable in the fight against terrorism, but it has also played a significant role in tackling drug and people trafficking, and in tracking down murderers, gangsters and sex offenders.
Speaking after the parliament gave its consent to the agreement, as my groups's Justice and Home Affairs spokesperson I said:
"PNR data is crucial in the fight against serious crime and terrorism. This agreement will have a tangible and positive effect that most ordinary travellers will not see but terrorists and criminals should fear.
"The EU must now use the successful adoption of this agreement to build momentum towards adoption of similar accords with the USA and Canada and finally, within the EU itself. An EU-wide agreement that allows PNR data to be transferred within Europe will ensure that there are no places for terrorists or criminals to hide."
