Brussels, 08/06/2010 (Agence Europe) - The US would like to reach a comprehensive agreement with the European Union on data protection in the fight against terrorism, as soon as possible, announced Nancy Libin, the person in charge of private life related issues at the US Department of Justice. During a meeting with journalists on 2 June in Brussels, she declared: “We hope to conclude an agreement as quickly as possible. It is very important”. Nonetheless, the European Commission considers that the conclusion of such an agreement could be envisaged for 2012. Libin, however, stated “I hope it won't be the case” and indicated that everything was in place and making rapid progress in this dossier. She particularly highlighted the fact that the two partners had already identified common principles on data protection during preliminary discussions, which should facilitate progress in future negotiations. According to Libin, this agreement will help facilitate the conclusion of future bilateral agreements and data transfer used in police cooperation and the fight against terrorism. On the other hand, this framework agreement is not expected to encroach on agreements such as Swift and the PNR (Passenger Name Record). Libin affirmed that “these are not going to be affected by the data protection agreement”. Nevertheless, the draft European negotiating mandate stipulates that after a three-year transition period, the future data protection agreement will apply to specific data transfer agreements (EUROPE 10146). (B.C./transl.fl)