Brussels, 19/06/2007 (Agence Europe) - The European Data Protection Supervisor, Peter Hustinx, recently wrote to Portuguese justice and home affairs ministers to ask them to be extremely attentive to data protection before Council initiatives (especially in the area of police cooperation and criminal legal affairs) are adopted. In his letter, Hustinx recalls that some agreements on new anti-terrorist measures were recently concluded without really taking into account the impact on fundamental rights. He believes that this negative approach to individual rights in one's private life fails to respect the principles included in the declaration on human rights. The EDPS is therefore making a vigorous recommendation to the Council to use its services to provide advice in all areas affecting data protection. Copies of the letter were sent to European Commission vice president, Franco Frattini and Jean-Marie Cavada, the president of the European Parliament's civil liberties, justice and internal affairs committee. (bc)