EU countries agree to share airline passenger data

PanARMENIAN.Net - The EU has agreed on a system to share airline passenger details in a bid to improve counter-terrorism efforts, BBC News reports.

The Passenger Name Record (PNR) system will allow access to passenger information including names, contact details and credit cards.

Details would be collected from European carrier flights entering or leaving the EU - as well as from those between member countries.

Security concerns were raised following the 13 November attacks in Paris.

The system would be "indispensable in the fight against terrorism", French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.

Luxembourg Interior Minister Etienne Scheider said: "The compromise agreed today will enable the EU to set up an effective PNR system which fully respects fundamental rights and freedoms.

"After so many years of debate, we have finally reached a deal."

The PNR system was first proposed in 2007, but lawmakers struggled to pass it because of privacy concerns. A new sense of urgency was brought to the negotiations in the wake of the Paris attacks.