Brussels, 02/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - Eighteen French EPP and British ECR MEPs have, in an opinion piece published on Monday 2 March, urged that a passenger name record (PNR) be swiftly adopted.
In the piece published by Le Figaro and The Daily Telegraph, the MEPs declare that “tool which we should adopt most urgently is the Passenger Name Record”. Every person reserving a flight must furnish information which can be used to “detect suspicious journeys of potential terrorists or dangerous criminals”. “Collecting and exchanging data from airlines would be very valuable”, they say. “In the same way as there is no liberty without security, there can be no security without liberty”, they add, giving assurances that a European PNR “would include important guarantees to protect personal data”. “It is regrettable that socialist and liberal groupings in the European Parliament have not given greater support to the PNR system”, state the MEPs. Among the signatories are Rachida Dati, Michèle Alliot-Marie, Timothy Kirkhope and Ashley Fox. (Lionel Changeur)