Brussels, 05/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - In an interview to appear in L'Echo, the Belgian economic daily, at the weekend, Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding rebukes member states over the Swift affair. “It is high time member states realised we have a European Parliament. (…). The states have not yet understood that we have a new treaty. They must get used to it. They must learn”, she said. In Reding's view, the latest development in the Swift affair is, for example, “provocation” on the part of the Council towards the European Parliament. “The Council signed the text the day before implementation of the new treaty to prevent the Parliament having its say. That is not right”, she said. Also, Reding believes “the Parliament is right in saying that the rules (on data protection) must also be observed in our relations with third countries”. She goes on to conclude that, thanks to the new treaty, “it is the Commission, and no longer the Council, that will negotiate with our partners”. (B.C./transl.jl)