Eu-us Agreement Cancelled Options

[hlias_gr]

The European Union believes it can swiftly rescue an annulled accord with the United States on air passenger data by making technical changes to it without changing its substance, officials said on Wednesday. The European Court of Justice cancelled on Tuesday a 2004 EU-US agreement under which European airlines supply US authorities information on passengers entering the United States including name, address, payment details and telephone numbers. The EU’s top court disputed the legal basis of the accord, but did not rule on a claim by EU lawmakers that the arrangement, which Washington says is vital to fighting terrorism, breached privacy rights. The European Court of Justice said the accord was struck within a legal framework pertaining to the supply of commercial services in the EU. It stipulated legal arrangements pertaining to public security should have been applied. It gave the EU four months until 30 September to find a solution, meaning EU Justice Ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Thursday and Friday will already be under pressure to start work on a replacement. European airlines and the United States believe the ruling will have no immediate impact on transatlantic air travel and left time to find a solution to the data transfer issue.