LEX signing on Passenger Name Records (PNR) and data protection, with Martin SCHULZ, EP President, during the EP plenary session (27-28 April 2016) in Brussels.

Brussels

lex signing

PNR (T)

SCHULZ, Martin (S&D, DE)

LEX signing on Passenger Name Records (PNR) and data protection: extracts from the signing ceremony with Martin SCHULZ, EP President

Signing the Data Protection Directive in the presence of the rapporteurs. The Data Protection Directive, which covers data processing by the police and criminal justice sector, will replace the 2008 framework decision (2008/977/JHA) on cross-border data processing in police and judicial cooperation within the EU. It will substantially harmonise the EU&rsquo;s various national methods of processing data for law enforcement purposes and will also, for the first time, set minimum protection standards for data transfers within each member state. The safeguards will apply to everyone, whether victim, criminal or witness, ensuring that their data are duly protected in criminal investigations and law enforcement actions. The rules, which will apply domestically and across borders within the EU, should also facilitate cross-border cooperation among police forces and prosecutors, enabling them to fight crime and terrorism more effectively across Europe. Parliament managed, inter alia, to set out clear rights for individuals and to establish independent data protection authorities with effective powers of intervention and enforcement of data protection rules. Parliament adopted its second reading position on 14 April 2016, thus concluding this legislative procedure at early second reading.

Signing of the PNR Directive in the presence of the rapporteurs. The Directive on the use of Passenger Name Record (PNR) data for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of terrorist offences and serious crime will oblige airlines to hand over to EU member states their passengers' data in order to help the authorities to fight terrorism and serious crime. The directive is to apply to 'extra-EU flights', but member states can also extend it to &ldquo;intra-EU&rdquo; ones, provided that they notify the European Commission (the Member States have already declared that they intend to make full use of this possibility). Member states will have to set up 'Passenger Information Units' (PIUs) to manage the PNR data collected by air carriers. This information will have to be retained for a period of five years. PIUs will be responsible for collecting, storing and processing PNR data, for transferring them to the competent authorities and for exchanging them with the PIUs of other member states and with Europol. Parliament adopted its first reading position on 14 April 2016 by 461 votes in favour, 179 against, with 9 abstentions. The Council adopted its first reading position at the JHA Council on 21 April 2014, thus concluding the legislative procedure.