Sarah Ludford MEP

European Parliament asks ECJ to reject EU-US passenger data deal

3.59.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 25th Jun 2004

Pat Cox, President of the European Parliament, has asked the European Court of Justice to annul the international agreement on air passenger data transfers to the US agreed by the Council of Ministers on 17 May 2004. This request for annulment follows the recommendations of the Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee and the heads of political groups.

Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP, European Liberal Democrat spokeswoman on Justice and Home Affairs said:

"Pat Cox has made the correct decision, aiming to protect the right to privacy that all European citizens should enjoy. The Council should note that the European Parliament will not accept an agreement that is flawed in both its legal substance and the high-handed way it was adopted."

Commenting on what would happen following a ruling by the European Court of Justice, Sarah Ludford added:

"If the Court rules in our favour as we expect, the European Commission must begin negotiations on a proper international agreement which takes into account MEPs' concerns. We are not against an agreement with the United States in principle, but demand adequate protection against misuse of data as well as democratic scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic."

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Previous news story: Lib Dem MEP condemns arson attacks on synagogues (Thu 24th Jun 2004).
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