"I am pleased the resolution got such a huge majority; I am convinced such a strong statement by Parliament will be helpful for the EU negotiations." said Sophie in't Veld (Dutch, D66), ALDE vice president of the Civil Liberties Committee and rapporteur for the resolution on the agreements with the US and Australia on the transfer of PNR (Passenger Name Record) data, voted today by the European Parliament. Parliament decided to postpone the vote on these agreements until the use of PNR is clarified with respect to EU law and EP concerns about privacy, proportionality and redress.

"Parliament is using its new powers to strengthen legal protection for European citizens. Indeed with today's result the EP is postponing its vote until the Commission presents a more coherent approach.

"In an era of unprecedented mobility and communication new instruments are needed to fight cross border crime. But the warrantless use of massive amounts of personal data requires cast iron guarantees of data protection and civil rights." in't Veld added.

"It is now for the European Commission and Council to negotiate new international agreements and draft a new EU PNR scheme. At the end of the procedure, Parliament will assess these proposals against the conditions set in today's resolution, when considering whether or not to give its consent." she concluded.

Note to the editor:

The European Parliament conditions for approval are:

1. PNR data can only be used for fighting terrorism and organised crime.

2. Use of PNR data must be in line with EU data protection standards.

3. Use of PNR for data mining and profiling is to be forbidden.

4. Forwarding of data to third countries must be limited to a specific need and regulated by means of a binding international treaty.

5. PNR data may only be provided on request ie. the push method.

For more information, please contact:

Neil Corlett: +32-2-284 20 77 or +32-478-78 22 84

e-mail: neil.corlett@europarl.europa.eu

Federica Terzi: +32-2-283 23 24 or +32-494 18 88 31