EU: The European Parliament has asked the European Court of Justice to determine if an EU deal to share information on airline passengers with US authorities is in breach of EU data protection laws.
Washington wants to collect up to 34 personal details about each traveller, including phone numbers and credit card information, which it would store for up to three-and-a-half years and could pass on to government authorities in other countries.
The European Parliament cannot block the deal, which was approved by the European Commission last December, but the court could demand changes to bring it into line with EU privacy laws.
The External Affairs Commissioner, Mr Chris Patten, acknowledged yesterday that allowing the US to pass information on European travellers to other governments could be in breach of EU rules.
"These transfers are a matter of concern for us," he said.
The Commission wants EU governments to negotiate an international agreement with the US to provide a legal framework for guarantees about the use of passenger data. Mr Patten warned that failure to resolve the issue could lead to "complete disarray in the next few months".
Some European airlines are already passing passenger data to the US authorities, rather than risk a $6000 fine introduced by Washington last year for any carrier that fails to submit a detailed passenger list within 15 minutes of a flight to the US taking off.
Mr Asa Hutchinson, Under-Secretary for Border and Transport Security at the US Department of Homeland Security, yesterday expressed disappointment with the outcome of the vote.
"This agreement that was negotiated with the European Commission provides strong security protection but also strong privacy protection. The passenger information is essential to properly protect passengers in the plane," he said.
A report by the European Parliament's Citizens' Rights Committee last month was highly critical of the accord,
