Parliament should approve the reworked EU-USA SWIFT bank data transfer agreement this week, said the Civil Liberties Committee on Monday. MEPs rejected the previous agreement four months ago, but have since negotiated certain safeguards with the Council and the US Treasury Department, and won an undertaking that the EU will develop a system that precludes the need to transfer data in bulk to the USA. The recommendation that Parliament as a whole authorise the conclusion of SWIFT II was drafted by Alexander Alvaro (ALDE, DE), and approved in committee with 41 votes in favour, 9 against and 1 abstention. If Parliament backs it in plenary on Thursday at noon, the agreement will come into force on 1 August.The key to the deal for the European Parliament is the eventual elimination of "bulk" data transfers. In exchange for backing the agreement, MEPs won an undertaking that work on setting up an EU equivalent to the US "Terrorism Finance Tracking Program" (TFTP), which would preclude the need for bulk data transfers, will start within 12 months. Once Europe has a system enabling it to analyse data on its own territory, it need only transfer data relating to a specific terrorist track.
Parliament should approve the reworked EU-USA SWIFT bank data transfer agreement this week, said the Civil Liberties Committee on Monday. MEPs rejected the previous agreement four months ago, but have since negotiated certain safeguards with the Council and the US Treasury Department, and won an undertaking that the EU will develop a system that precludes the need to transfer data in bulk to the USA.
The recommendation that Parliament as a whole authorise the conclusion of SWIFT II was drafted by Alexander Alvaro (ALDE, DE), and approved in committee with 41 votes in favour, 9 against and 1 abstention. If Parliament backs it in plenary on Thursday at noon, the agreement will come into force on 1 August.
The key to the deal for the European Parliament is the eventual elimination of "bulk" data transfers. In exchange for backing the agreement, MEPs won an undertaking that work on setting up an EU equivalent to the US "Terrorism Finance Tracking Program" (TFTP), which would preclude the need for bulk data transfers, will start within 12 months. Once Europe has a system enabling it to analyse data on its own territory, it need only transfer data relating to a specific terrorist track.
afew: (26 June 2010)
The European Union's member states have accepted demands by MEPs to amend a draft data-sharing agreement with the United States that has already been initialled. The changes to the so-called SWIFT agreement, named after the company that communicates data on electronic banking transfers, concern how the EU oversees data extraction by US officials working on the Terrorist Finance Tracking Programme (TFTP). The proposed changes have been communicated to the Americans and are not expected to be particularly controversial.
The European Parliament looks set to give the green light to a controversial deal governing the sharing of bank data between the EU and the US after securing guarantees on privacy - concessions Washington said had been "difficult."
The signing in Brussels today (28 June) was made possible after Spain, the current holder of the rotating presidency of the Council of Ministers, accepted demands from MEPs for changes to the text. The changes, which were accepted by the US, pave the way for the European Parliament to approve the agreement at its last plenary before the summer break, in Strasbourg next week. EU member states gave their written consent today.
A new role for Europol ... An EU representative in the USA to monitor data processing ... Right of redress for European citizens ... Data retention and deletion
A new role for Europol
...
An EU representative in the USA to monitor data processing
Right of redress for European citizens
Data retention and deletion
The key to the deal for the European Parliament is the eventual elimination of "bulk" data transfers. In exchange for backing the agreement, MEPs won an undertaking that work on setting up an EU equivalent to the US "Terrorism Finance Tracking Program" (TFTP), which would preclude the need for bulk data transfers, will start within 12 months. Once Europe has a system enabling it to analyse data on its own territory, it need only transfer data relating to a specific terrorist track. ... The SWIFT network has been used for several years by the US Treasury Department under the TFTP to identify, locate and track down people suspected of terrorism as well as their financial backers, in the wake of the attacks of 11 September 2001. SWIFT has provided the Treasury with targeted data to trace the movements of terrorism-related funds. ... This co-operation initially took place in great secrecy but was revealed by the press in June 2006. The European Parliament then demanded that a framework be established to ensure appropriate data protection and prevent the data being used for purposes other than counter-terrorism. As a result, a transatlantic dialogue was set up and the EU obtained certain safeguards. In return the services of the EU Member States could benefit from information processed by the USA under the TFTP.
The SWIFT network has been used for several years by the US Treasury Department under the TFTP to identify, locate and track down people suspected of terrorism as well as their financial backers, in the wake of the attacks of 11 September 2001. SWIFT has provided the Treasury with targeted data to trace the movements of terrorism-related funds.
This co-operation initially took place in great secrecy but was revealed by the press in June 2006. The European Parliament then demanded that a framework be established to ensure appropriate data protection and prevent the data being used for purposes other than counter-terrorism. As a result, a transatlantic dialogue was set up and the EU obtained certain safeguards. In return the services of the EU Member States could benefit from information processed by the USA under the TFTP.
