Brussels, 08/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - During the coming year, the EU and United States are to begin talks on the future international agreement on personal data protection and the exchange of information for prosecution investigation purposes. Work is gathering pace as the European Commission is to invite member state experts to Brussels on 10 March to discuss the dossier and, on 12 March, will close public consultation on the matter. “The Commission has undertaken to present a draft negotiating brief as soon as possible”, a European Commission source said. In his view, the aim is to have a general, binding agreement that would not allow the transfer of data and which should be completed by specific agreements. European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) Peter Hustinx takes the view that the agreement will help to form the backdrop for other agreements but that it will never meet specific cases such as Swift or PNR (Passenger Name Records). Entry into force of this agreement is not expected for two or three years, Hustinx said, saying that much has still to be negotiated. One of the key points of the talks will concern the possibility of redress by European citizens in the case of ill use of data. At present, the US Privacy Act does not grant right of redress before US courts except to US nationals and permanent residents. Talks could therefore encounter real difficulties even though, in practice, the US government grants a whole series of administrative redress possibilities for European citizens. To give legal right of redress to Europeans, it is necessary for the Congress to amend the privacy act, and, as Mary Ellen Callahan said on Monday 8 March: “We'll have to find other alternatives”. Callahan is responsible for issues relating to the protection of privacy at the US Homeland Security Department. She was speaking during a trip to Brussels. (B.C./transl.jl)