Brussels, 22/02/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 22 February, in line with the wishes of the European Parliament, EU foreign ministers officially brought to an end the provisional agreement on the transfer of banking information to the United States by means of the Swift network. MEPs rejected the agreement on 11 February, on the grounds that it did not provide enough of a guarantee on fundamental rights and the protection of European citizens' data (see EUROPE 10077 and 10076). In an interview with French daily Le Monde, US Ambassador to the EU William Kennard said that he did not know if the United States wanted to negotiate another agreement with the EU (see EUROPE 10079). The European Commission hopes that new talks will be opened in the near future. (B.C./transl.rt)