On Tuesday 14 October, the Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, signed bilateral agreements with Norway and Iceland on the transfer of Passenger Name Record (PNR) data on behalf of the European Union, the Commission said in a press release on 15 October.
The two countries were represented by the State Secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security, Joakim Øren, and the Permanent Secretary at the Icelandic Ministry of Justice, Haukur Gudmundsson.
“These agreements will allow Norway and Iceland to receive PNR data, information provided by passengers during the reservation and check-in process, from air carriers operating between these countries and the EU Member States. This will strengthen law enforcement cooperation between the EU, Norway and Iceland in the Schengen Area, and help step up the joint fight against terrorism and serious and organised crime”.
Following signature, Norway and Iceland will launch their respective national ratification procedures. The European Parliament must also approve the texts before the Council can adopt the decisions relating to the conclusion of these agreements.
The retention periods for PNR data are set out in the two agreements “in any case, for periods not exceeding five years”.
Links to agreements: https://aeur.eu/f/iz3 ; https://aeur.eu/f/iz4 (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)