20/07/2007 (Agence Europe) - As foreseen, EU ambassadors gave the go-ahead, on Thursday 19 July, to the new agreement with the United States on the transfer of personal data relating to air passengers as part of the fight against terrorism (EUROPE 9458). The text, which was highly criticised by the European Parliament, has still to be endorsed by European foreign ministers. They are expected to endorse it without discussion on Monday 23 July. Some national parliaments have also expressed their opinion. The French Senate, in particular, has deplored the fact that declarations of commitment from American authorities do not appear in the body of the agreement, and also express concern about the “excessive” duration of data retention. It above all expressed “grave concern” about respect of data protection and surveillance mechanisms associated with this system. The EU member states may soon look at the creation of a similar system for travellers arriving in Europe on the basis of a European Commission proposal to be presented in October. (bc)