The European Commission said airline passenger data-sharing agreements with the U.S. government should be voided by the end of this month and negotiations on a replacement deal should commence immediately, with implementation by 30 Sept 2006

. "The Commission counts on the competent authorities of the United States to ensure commonly a high level of security, whilst continuing to ensure the smooth functioning of the commercial activities of air carriers without lowering the data protection standards which are currently in place," according to an EC statement. The European Court of Justice last month moved to annul existing passenger data deals between European authorities and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.