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EU rejects murder as tool to fight terror | |||
2007-07-13 | |||
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EU launches new Fundamental Rights Agency | ||||
2007-03-02 | ||||
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The agencys expertise will instead be used in implementing Union policies -- on the common market and transport for example -- where there are discrimination and racism issues, in the 27 current EU members. The EUs new agency will work above all in the legislation preparation phase, Austrian foreign minister Ursula Plassnik said while Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer added it will have an advisory duty so that fundamental rights do not suffer because of tensions caused by the fight against terrorism.
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EU and US in new passenger data deal |
2006-10-07 |
The US and the European Union have struck a new deal for sharing transatlantic airline passenger data. The new interim agreement replaces a 2004 deal ruled illegal for technical reasons by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in May. The agreement followed a transatlantic video conference lasting at least seven hours. EU justice ministers will meet later on Friday to discuss and back the deal. Negotiations were primarily over which information will be shared with the American counter-terrorist organisations such as the FBI or the CIA. Negotiations collapsed last week, creating a legal vacuum where airlines risked losing landing rights in the US if they did not supply the data or legal action in the EU if they did. The deal involves 34 pieces of data about passengers flying from Europe to US destinations, including addresses, telephone numbers and credit card numbers. The data including passengers' names, addresses and credit card details must be transferred to US authorities within 15 minutes of a US-bound flight's departure. EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini said new mechanisms had been agreed to distribute data from airlines to the US, the BBC reported. US officials will now only be able to access data by having information "pushed" from airline computer systems. Previously the US could "pull" data from the systems whenever it was needed. The new accord will expire at the end of July 2007 and negotiations over a permanent deal will start in November. |
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Guardian: Flight logs reveal hundreds of CIA flights to Europe | ||
2005-12-01 | ||
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![]() Outrage over the reports mounted | ||
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No evidence yet on CIA prisons in Europe: justice chief |
2005-11-30 |
EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini said he has no evidence the CIA has secret prisons in Europe, but repeated that he would take action against the states involved if any were found. Frattini said he had spoken to officials in a number of European Union member states and that Washington had promised to get back to him with any details it might have. "I'm not a super prosecutor of course, but I've spoken directly to several ministers of the interior of member states. They denied the allegations. Without evidence, I trust these ministers of course," he told reporters. "We have asked the US administration to give an answer, to give a response, and ... the US State Department promised to give a formal response to our request for more information," he said. "It is absolutely clear that if there would be evidence of state or candidate allowing or having allowed on its territory camps or prisons or something like that not in compliance with European and international standards on the treatment of prisoners, we would have the duty to declare a serious violation" of EU treaties, he said. The United States has acknowledged European concerns over the reports of secret CIA prisons and transport flights for terror suspects, calling them "legitimate questions" that deserve a response. US officials had previously said little amid an uproar over reports that broke in the last month of clandestine interrogation centers and prisoner transport flights, including suggestions of on-board torture sessions. They refused to confirm or deny the existence of such facilities but defended in general terms the use of tough tactics in the war on terror. Frattini threatened sanctions on Monday for any EU nation found to have allowed secret CIA prison camps to operate on its soil. |
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