Manfred Weber, Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, has welcomed the decision of the Conference of Presidents to debate and vote on the Passenger Name Record (PNR) dossier at next week's plenary session in Strasbourg.

“Only our pressure made it possible for the Council to move and resulted in the Left-wing Groups in the European Parliament accepting a final vote”, said Manfred Weber.

“The EPP Group has been pushing since the beginning of the year for the adoption of legislation which had been blocked because of a power game by Left-wing Groups. There was no serious argument in favour of the delay. EU PNR legislation is an effective tool in fighting terrorism and organised crime. The safety and protection of citizens is our task as European politicians. The European Parliament must show its commitment to the fight against terrorism by adopting the PNR legislation”, concluded the Chairman of the EPP Group.