03/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - Visa EU has welcomed the adoption of the guidelines which will put an end to conflicts between fraud prevention measures and national data protection laws (see above). Robert Littas, Vice-President of Visa EU and in charge of anti-fraud measures, said in a press release that a harmonised level of protection of merchants' data will protect consumers, banks and honest merchants against credit card fraud. Visa EU wishes to replace its centralised database, which it set up in the 1990s in three European markets, with a European warning system.