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Pat Cox asks EU court to annul EU-US passenger data deal
Background:
European Parliament President Pat Cox has requested that the
European Court of Justice annul a controversial agreement under
which European airlines would transfer private passenger data to
the US authorities. "This decision was taken after widescale
consultation and reflects the concern felt by a large majority of
the European Parliament on the need to defend European citizens'
fundamental rights and freedoms," Cox said on 26 June. He has also
decided to appeal against the Commission decision stating that the
level of protection of passenger data provided by the USA is
adequate. Several political group leaders and the Parliament's
Legal Affairs Committee had asked Pat Cox to undertake legal action
on 16 June (see
).
A Court decision may take several years. In the meantime, the agreement allowing US authorities to access airlines' booking records will apply. The European Commission insists the deal it reached with Washington and which was endorsed by EU governments on May 28 provides “adequate protection” under EU rules restricting personal data sent to non-EU countries. "We are confident the court will sustain the agreement," the US deputy secretary for Homeland Security, James Loy, told reporters during a visit to Brussels.
