Besprekingen passagiers database uitgesteld tot bekrachtiging Verdrag van Lissabon (en)

Parliament's pressure and the prospect of the Lisbon Treaty's entry into force appear to have led the Council of Ministers to suspend discussion on a European Passenger Name Record (PNR) scheme until Members receive co-decision powers on this issue. On Tuesday EP Rapporteur Sophie In't Veld (ALDE, NL) welcomed the decision to put on hold a European scheme for providing airline passengers' personal data to anti-terrorist units.

"We were pleasantly surprised by the Swedish Presidency announcement that the work on an EU PNR system has been put on hold until the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty", Sophie In 't Veld declared on Tuesday.

"This will finally allow for adequate parliamentary scrutiny and for a stronger focus on citizens' rights" she said.

"It is remarkable, though, that the Council remained quiet about its intention for almost a year, and that it does not apply the same logic to all other outstanding proposals that will have to be treated under the Lisbon Treaty", she added.

Background

On several occasions, MEPs voiced serious criticism of the proposed EU PNR scheme, a plan to collect air passenger records for law enforcement purposes, "essentially copying a scheme applied in the US", according to the rapporteur.

In November 2007, the European Commission proposed that air carriers would make available PNR data for flights to or from the EU (inward and outbound EU flights) to specialized national units carrying out risk assessments for law enforcement and counter terrorism purposes.

In a resolution adopted last year, the EP questioned the purpose limitation, the legal base, and the effectiveness of a PNR scheme for the stated purposes. MEPs were also very critical of the procedural safeguards and data protection arrangements, which they judged inadequate. Members asked for evidence that such a system would be useful at EU level, and said they could not vote on the text until their many concerns had been addressed. To date, the Council has not provided the requested information.