The European Commission today said it would put in place a "legally sound framework" to transfer passenger name record data to the United States, following a ruling late last month that found an agreement by the European Union Council of Ministers to give airline PNR data to the U.S. was made without proper legal status.
Today's two-pronged E.C. plan would terminate the existing E.U.-U.S. agreement—which stipulates that a European airlines flying to the United States must send U.S. authorities personal information about the passengers on board within 15 minutes of takeoff—while opening new talks between Europe and the United States.
Without such an E.U.-U.S. pact, European airlines potentially would be caught in a bind by facing heavy fines from the European Union if they surrender PNR data to the United States, but prohibition from U.S. air space and thousands of dollars per passenger in fines if they do not
(BTN, June 5).
"To protect public security and the economic interests of European air carriers, this new agreement should replace the current agreement when it will be terminated, i.e. 30 September 2006," the commission said today in a statement.