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EU, U.S. reach deal on passenger data
2007-07-02
European negotiators reached a provisional deal with the United States on Wednesday, ending a year of wrangling over how to share information about trans-Atlantic air passengers that Washington says is needed to fight terrorism. The tentative agreement will be put to envoys from all 27 European Union nations Friday for approval, said the diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been finalized. Differences over how to balance security needs with concerns over passengers' privacy had deadlocked negotiations since a 2004 deal on data sharing was voided by an EU court last year for technical reasons. An interim accord expires at the end of July. The U.S. had warned that airlines failing to share passenger data under its anti-terror screening rules faced fines of up to $6,000 per passenger and the loss of landing rights. Currently, a maximum of 34 pieces of recorded data -- such as passenger names, addresses, seat numbers, and credit card and travel details -- are transferred to U.S. authorities within 15 minutes of a flight's departure for the United States. Details of the proposed deal were not immediately released. Officials said it would lead to a narrower range of data being handed over, but that U.S. authorities would be able to hold on to the details for longer. German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told a European Parliament committee Tuesday that under the deal being negotiated the number of data shared would drop to "around 20," while the period they can be held by the U.S. would be extended. He did not say what types of data would be withheld or how long it would be kept. Germany has led the negotiations for the EU for the last six months because it holds the rotating EU presidency. Schaeuble said he wanted a deal by Saturday when Germany hands the presidency over to Portugal. EU and U.S. negotiators held a videoconference Monday discuss the agreement and were linked again Wednesday. The current accord allows the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency to disclose so-called Passenger Name Records to other U.S. law enforcement agencies for use in anti-terror investigations if those agencies have data protection standards that meet the EU's legal demands.
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