European Council approves data sharing of passengers

BRUSSELS

The European Council has approved on Thursday a regulation that aims to allow the collecting and sharing of passenger data.

The approval comes a week after the European parliament voted the measure.

A statement from the EU Council said: "The Council adopted a directive on the use of passenger name record (PNR) data for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of terrorist offences and serious crime."

According to the motion, EU countries will have two years to implement a system that allows security agencies to gain access to passengers flying in and out of the EU.

Will be made available, passenger names, e-mails, phone numbers and passport details.

Data will be retained for five years. However, names are expected to be concealed after six months to prevent further identification.

The PNR system was debated by EU officials in 2011, but an agreement could not be reached because of concerns regarding privacy issues.

Following the Brussels and last year's Paris attacks, in March and November respectively, the European Parliament adopted last week the measure with 416 votes for and 179 against.

BRUSSELS

The European Council has approved on Thursday a regulation that aims to allow the collecting and sharing of passenger data.

The approval comes a week after the European parliament voted the measure.

According to the motion, EU countries will have two years to implement a system that allows security agencies to gain access to passengers flying in and out of the EU.

Will be made available, passenger names, e-mails, phone numbers and passport details.

Data will be retained for five years. However, names are expected to be concealed after six months to prevent further identification.

The PNR system was debated by EU officials in 2011, but an agreement could not be reached because of concerns regarding privacy issues.

Following the Brussels and last year's Paris attacks, in March and November respectively, the European Parliament adopted last week the measure with 416 votes for and 179 against.