Parliament wants information on SWIFT-CIA data transfer[fr][de] 

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on 6 July 2006, asking EU governments, the Commission and the European Central Bank "to explain fully the extent to which they were aware of the secret agreement" between the Belgium-based SWIFT ('Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication') and the authorities of the United States. 

According to reports , which have been at least partly confirmed by the US, the data concerning millions of daily international money transfers is forwarded to the US, where it is made subject to data mining procedures. On the US side, the scheme, which is part of the 'war on terrorism', is operated jointly by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Treasury. 

Addressing the Parliament in the debate on 5 July 2006, Commission Vice President Franco Frattini said that "the Commission will follow the developments very closely and, if necessary, we will make full use of our powers under the Treaty". He dropped, however, a phrase from his previously distributed speaking points, according to which "the transfer of such financial information falls within the scope of the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC".  This would have been in contradiction to earlier comments from Frattini's spokesman Frisco Roscam-Abbing, according to which "the data protection directive does not apply to data transfers for security purposes". 

The Parliament's resolution was adopted with 302 votes from the PSE, Greens/EFA, ALDE and GUE/NGL Groups, against 219 votes from the PPE-DE and UEN groups. The two latter groups had tabled a much softer resolution , which called the transfer "alleged" and did not call for further investigation.