The European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, and the Canadian Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, Dominic Leblanc, signed an agreement on Friday 4 October in Italy, alongside a G7 meeting, for the transfer of passenger name record (PNR) data on flights between the EU and Canada, according to a press release.
In 2017, the Court of Justice of the EU invalidated an initial draft agreement on the grounds that several of its provisions were incompatible with the fundamental rights recognised by the Union (see EUROPE 11837/2).
PNR data is information provided by passengers and collected by airlines in the normal course of their business. “Its use and analysis are an essential tool to fight terrorism, serious and organised crime, including drug trafficking and child exploitation” points out the Commission in its press release.
This exchange of information will strengthen law enforcement cooperation between the EU and Canada. At the same time, the new agreement sets high standards for security, privacy and data protection, says the Commission.
The draft agreement was sent to the Member States and the European Parliament in March; it sets the general retention period for PNR data at five years (Article 16), as in the first draft agreement.
The EU has already signed agreements allowing EU carriers to transfer PNR data to the United States (5-year retention period, with possible extensions) and Australia (five and a half years). It has also opened negotiations with Japan.
“We all know that the negotiations took a long time”, commented the Commissioner. “And it’s important to remember why this agreement is so important. The aim is to ensure the safety of Canadian and European citizens by acquiring knowledge and observing patterns of criminal activity”.
“The partnership between the European Union and Canada is essential for Canadians” and this agreement marks “a new stage in our mutual commitment to protecting our borders and maintaining internal security”, said Dominic Leblanc.
The Council of the EU and the European Parliament will have to adopt the draft agreement.
Link to text: https://aeur.eu/f/dq6 (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)