Strasbourg, 11/05/2005 (Agence Europe) - In his presentation of the EP's Action Plan D on The Hague “Freedom, Security and Justice” programme (EUROPE 8944, p 7), Commissioner Franco Frattini spelt out the main objectives of the plan: promotion and protection of personal rights (the Union must not restrict itself to defending freedoms but also promote them), solidarity, creation of a European areas of civil and criminal justice.
In reply to questions, Frattini explained that: citizenship was the synthesis of common values. This did not mean the reinforcement of a repressive arsenal but finding a balance between the need for information and the protection of personal rights (including the protection of personal data); immigration. Member States should have competency over the number of legal immigrants that can be admitted but Member States should have a way of reaching agreement on certain common rules; in the KLM flight case from Amsterdam, which was unable to fly over US airspace. A written response will be provided in the next few days by the services of Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner but Mr Frattini expects: that certain information on passenger data was not distributed from the “passenger name record” (PNR system) but on the basis of a bilateral agreement between the USA and Mexico: the Union therefore does not have the right to intervene; protection of personal data. Although it is stipulated what authorities can have access to certain data and determine the way forward, by limiting the field of action, Interior Ministers spoke of the possibility of expanding the access of authorities carrying out investigations into data banks. The commission said that he agree if in parallel there was strengthened protection of data within the third pillar proposal to be presented later in the year.
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