Oh NO, not a significant step to One World Government!
EU, U.S., divided on air passenger data, seek deal

Fri Jan 26, 8:46 AM ET

BERLIN (Reuters) -
European Union president Germany said on Friday it would work hard to strike a deal quickly on sharing air passenger data with the United States, which is pushing for easier access to European records.

Germany is under pressure to negotiate the agreement, designed to help fight terrorism, because a temporary deal signed last October expires in July.

But the two sides disagree over how the data should be used.

"We are determined to push ahead with talks on replacing the temporary agreement with a long-term one," German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told a joint news conference with U.S.
Homeland Security Secretary
Michael Chertoff.

"I am confident we will find a solution," he said, without specifying when he expected an agreement.

Chertoff said the data were vital in identifying criminals or people connected to terrorists whom the U.S. wants to watch.

"I don't think we are looking for more data, I think what we are looking for is to continue the ability to analyze the data rapidly and make it available to our inspectors without having a lot of bureaucratic hurdles," said Chertoff.

He said Washington was trying to address Europe's concerns about privacy which were based on "historical traditions."

Schaeuble tried to play down the differences.

"I think the main reason for the difficulty is that there is an assumption that we take data protection more seriously than the Americans and that is not true," he said.

Some EU lawmakers have accused European negotiators of caving in to U.S. pressure after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and of sacrificing passengers' rights to privacy.

The United States has also been pushing for the right to hold data on passengers for longer.

Under October's deal, European airlines must pass on up to 34 items of data, including passengers' addresses, telephone numbers and credit card details, to be allowed to land at U.S. airports.

There are limits to how long U.S. agencies can keep the records and how they can use them.

The EU's top court struck down a previous passenger data agreement on a legal technicality last May after a challenge from the European parliament.

The two said they were also trying to boost cooperation in other areas and are discussing U.S. plans to conduct more checks on travelers who do not need visas to enter the country.