Brussels, 01/08/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 1 August, France and Belgium, followed by seven other countries, called on the EU to rapidly avail itself of a PNR (Passenger Name Record) system, to stem the flow of fighters leaving from the EU to fight in Syria and other conflict zones. Hundreds of fighters of European origin have already engaged in the fighting in Syria, some on behalf of the Jihad.
During the Council of Home Ministers of the European Union in Luxembourg on 7 June this year, the Belgian and French home ministers, Joëlle Milquet and Manuel Valls, organised a meeting devoted to the worrying phenomenon of European nationals who go to Syria to fight often alongside terrorist organisations. The meeting brought together the ministers of member states that are the most concerned by this phenomenon, which is now reaching unprecedented proportions in Europe (see EUROPE 10862).
During the meeting, it appeared that one of the most effective instruments for ensuring the follow-up of these persons, not only when they go to Syria but also to other conflict zones and when they return to Europe, would be to have a so-called European passenger name record system, a PNR, France and Belgium point out in a press release. That PNR would allow the relevant authorities to detect and monitor, and prevent, the movements of the often young and vulnerable people that are tempted to risk their lives by going to conflict zones. Also, where necessary, it would help prevent the perpetration of attacks on European soil and combat a number of serious offences.
In February 2011, the European Commission put a proposal to the Council and European Parliament for the adoption of a directive aimed at setting such a PNR system in place, with a very strict framework regarding the conditions for using data, mainly in order to protect privacy and only to combat terrorism and offences linked to organised crime. The text, which is to be jointly adopted by the Council and European Parliament, was voted down in April 2012 at the European Parliament committee on civil liberties, the relevant committee on such matters. The plenary assembly decided on 10 June to refer the text back for the scrutiny of the relevant parliamentary committee.
On the initiative of the Belgian and French ministers, nine home and justice ministers (Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom and Sweden) sent a letter to the chairman of the committee on civil liberties, José Lopez-Aguillar. In the letter, they underline how important it would be for the security of the European Union and for those living on its soil to rapidly have a PNR system that ensures a high level of protection of privacy, mainly through independent systems for controlling the use of data, fully in line with EU law, the Franco-Belgian press release states. (LC/transl.jl)