Press and Photo Gallery
EU-US Air Passenger Data Agreement Should Not be Scrapped
Tuesday, November 22 2005
BRUSSELS, 22 November 2005 -- Scrapping the EU's Passenger Name Record (PNR) agreement with the United States would undermine public security and the international fight against terrorism, Conservative leader in the European Parliament Timothy Kirkhope MEP said today after a European Court of Justice advocate-general recommended the agreement be annulled.
The advocate-general sided in favour of the Parliament, which had launched a case against the Commission and Council for concluding this agreement without addressing MEPs' concerns.
However, the advocate-general's opinion was based on a legal technicality - that the legal basis of the PNR agreement was inadequate. He did not agree that the agreement was made invalid by the fact that the Parliament had not expressed its opinion on the matter. Nor did he agree that the agreement contravened privacy rights.
Mr Kirkhope said that if the Court's judgement follows the advocate-general's opinion, United States authorities could ban flights originating in non-cooperating countries from US airspace.
Mr Kirkhope, Conservative justice and home affairs spokesman in the Parliament, said:
"This has muddied the waters even more. The PNR agreement was the right way to respond to a threat which affects us on both sides of the Atlantic.
"I can't see how scrapping this agreement on an obscure legal technicality is going to do anything to enhance public security.
"Binning this accord would be an unnecessary and retrograde step which could potentially undermine the international fight against terrorism.
"If this agreement ends up being scrapped the US response could cause serious difficulties for EU airlines flying to America."
ENDS
