25/01/2019 (Agence Europe) – On 24 January the Commission sent a reasoned opinion to Spain for failing to notify it of the national measures taken so far to implement the EU's Passenger Name Record (PNR) rules, Directive 2016/681 with the objective of preventing terrorist threats. "The use of PNR data is an important tool for combating terrorism and serious crime, detecting suspicious travel profiles and identifying potential criminals and terrorists", the Commission explained. Member States were to have fully implemented the new EU rules on PNR data by 25 May 2018. Twenty-three Member States have notified the Commission so far of their implementation of this Directive, according to the latest data made available. (SP)