1.4.04: EU: Full-text of the Resolution adopted by the European Parliament at its plenary session on 31 March 2004 opposing the transfer of passenger data (PNR) to the USA and reserving the right to take the issue to the European Court of Justice: EP Resolution (pdf)
EU plan for the USA to get access to personal details of airline passengers (PNR):
- European Parliament rapporteur writes to national parliaments: Text of letter (pdf)
- Speech by Stafano Rodota, chair of the EU's Article 29 Data Protection Working Party to the European Parliament's Committee of Citizens' Freedoms and rights: Text of speech (pdf)
- text of the draft Commission Decision on the "adequacy" of the EU-US agreement on PNR as agreed at the General Affairs Council on 16.2.04 plus amended pages 7-10 of the US "Undertakings" - the latter should be read in conjunction with the "Undertakings" dated 12 January: 12 Jan version of "Undertakings" (pdf)
EU leads call for global agreement on the exchange of passenger data (PNR): Report
EU draft Decision on the "adequacy" of the US "Undertakings" on access to PNR: Full-text and analysis
"Privacy is one of the basic values of human life and personal data is the main gateway enabling entry into it. The citizens of countries that experienced a period of totalitarian regimes have that a hard experience - when privacy was not considered of value and was sacrificed to the interest of the state" (Hana Stepankova, Czech Office for Personal Data Protection, on handing over personal passenger data to the USA, Prague Post, 11.12.03)
EU planning to nod through use of PNR data for use by CAPPS II: Report and documentation
EU's data protection working party produces damning report on EU-US exchange of passenger data: Report and documentation
Statewatch special: Full-text of EU-US agreement on the transfer of personal data: EU-US agreement
Privacy International report on transfer of PNR data to USA: Press release and report
EU: Belgian Privacy Committee supports MEP's complaint on illegal transfer of personal data to USA: Finding
EU-USA PNR agreement: ACLU letter to EU Commissioner Bolkestein - Northwest Airlines Privacy Violations
The US-VISIT Program, Increment 1, Privacy Impact Assessment (dated 18.12.03) (pdf)
Commission did agree that PNR data can be used for CAPPS II testing, but the question is why? Report and analysis
- contrary to Mr Bolkestein's claim a whole host of US agencies will have access to the data
- lifetime travel dossiers to be created and held for 100 years on every traveller
USA to use EU PNR data for CAPPS II testing despite assurances no agreement covering it: Report
EU: Commission "compromises" and agrees on handing over passenger data to USA: Report and documents
"What is quite unforgivable is that the European Commission thinks that the EU-USA deal - with a state which has no data protection laws and no intention of adopting them - is a better basis for a global standard than the EU's data protection laws which have served as a model for many countries around the world." (Tony Bunyan, Statewatch editor)
EU: Form of deal on handing over passenger data to USA in doubt: Report
European airlines are handing PNR data over to US Customs - Evidence from Spain: Report & documents
EU tells USA to stop making new requests to airlines for personal passenger data: Report and letter
European Parliament report opposes giving passenger data to USA without strict data protection safeguards - and says if these are not met by 1 December all data transfers should stop: Report
Data protection: International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners adopt series of resolutions calling for global standards: Report and documentation
European Commission tells USA that demands for access to data on airline passengers breaches EU Data Protection Directive - but hints at a deal that would "fudge" the issue (update 15.9.03): Report and documentation
EU airlines allowing access to all personal details on passengers by US authorities: Report
Germany: Introduction of biometric features worries privacy rights advocates: Report
EU: JHA Council to authorise signing of EU-USA agreements on extradition and mutual legal assistance - European Parliament adopts highly critical report and Amnesty International say extradition agreement flawed: Report
EU: Council capitulates and releases draft EU-US agreements: Report and full documentation
- pressure from civil society and parliaments leads to release of draft agreements
- UK parliament demands six weeks to scrutinise agreements
- drafts confirm that references to the International Criminal Court (ICC) are excluded
- application of EU data protection standards are "precluded"
- FBI and other US agencies to operate in EU in joint investigation teams with full powers of search, surveillance and arrest
EU: Spain proposes data on all airline passengers to be sent to law enforcement agencies and for extra checks on all foreign nationals entering the EU: Special Report
US Customs to have direct access to EU airlines reservations databases: Report
EU-USA: Proposed exchange of personal data between Europol and USA evades EU data protection rights and protections: Special report
Secret EU-US agreement being negotiated: Secret agreement on criminal matters, investigative procedures and joint teams being negotiated without the the European or national parliaments being consulted. Statewatch refused access to full-text of document because: “the interest of protecting the Council’s objectives outweighs the interest in “democratic control”": Special Report
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