03/07/2007 (Agence Europe) - In a letter recently sent to the German interior minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, who negotiated the agreement on transfer of air passenger records to the United States, Peter Hustinx, European data protection supervisor, casts serious doubt on the agreement's compatibility with “European fundamental rights”. Mr Hustinx goes on to point out that the Council and the Commission had nonetheless said that the fundamental rights were “not negotiable”. The agreement concluded last week, which has still to be officially endorsed by the 27 member states, provides for the personal data of passengers wishing to go the United States to be accessible more easily and for a longer length of time for perusal by American security agencies (EUROPE 9458). (bc)