EU Parliamentarians adopt the long awaited EU-PNR Directive

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The Members of the European Parliament adopted yesterday the long awaited Directive on the regulation of the use of Passenger Name Record (PNR) data for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of terrorist offences and serious crime.

With this new law, airlines will have to hand national authorities the passengers’ data for all flights from third countries to the EU and vice versa. Continue Reading

European centre-left blocks the adoption of EU-PNR Directive

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At the beginning of the March plenary session of the European Parliament, the ECR Group (of David Cameron) made the request to place on the plenary agenda the report on the use of passenger name record data (EU-PNR). The demand was rejected by 163 votes in favour to 207 against. The opposing camp included the centre-left MEPs of the Socialist group S&D, the Liberals of the ALDE group, the radical left MEPs and the Greens. Continue Reading

EPP and S&D groups at odds on EU security priorities

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The non-binding resolution concerning the European Agenda on Security for 2015-2020 proposed by the Commission was adopted by a narrow margin by the European Parliament. This document  sets out the guidelines on how the Union can bring added value to support the Member States in ensuring security.

The text was adopted by 250 votes in favour 204 against and 184 abstentions. The socialist group and the liberals supported the final resolution. The majority of the EPP members abstained, together with the majority of the Greens and of the GUE/NGL. The conservatives, the eurosceptics and the new party group of Marine Le Pen voted against.

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The Left and Eurosceptic groups cling to victory: tough criticism of the CIA’s counter-terrorism programme adopted in the EP

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The Socialists, Liberal democrats, hard left and Eurosceptic have succeeded in forming a majority, defeating opposition from the Christian-democrats and conservatives. Christian Democrats and conservatives would have preferred a more moderate position, focusing on the necessity of close cooperation between the EU and the USA in fighting and countering terrorism. Continue Reading