European Union is Subdued by the United States

A majority in the EU parliament approved the transfer of personal records from the EU to the U.S.

Today, the European Parliament, with 409 votes for and 226 against, adopted an agreement with the United States on the extensive use and transfer of European flight passenger personal records to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The purpose of the so-called PNR (Passenger Name Record) deal is, on paper, to fight terrorism and cross-border crime. But, in reality, it allows American authorities to use this personal data in connection with any allegation of criminal acts which, in accordance with American legislation, can be punishable with a prison sentence of more than three years.

The American authorities need information regarding credit card transactions, itinerary, choice of in-flight food (e.g., halal) and luggage to establish a profile of “the typical terrorist.” These personal details, which are stored for 10 to 15 years, can even be added to other American registers and so exchanged with third-party countries.

Any EU citizen who shares similarities to the profile is put under suspicion. Therefore, you can risk being denied entry to the United States, exposed to questioning upon arrival or chance being arrested.

The only way to clear your name is by taking legal action at an American court and abiding by American legislation — that is, if you can afford it, and get permission from the American authorities.

There is no documentation that can support the claim that such an extensive personal data collection of EU citizens even assists the war on terrorism and cross-border crime. On the contrary, more examples will emerge of people having to pay the price of mistaken suspicion.

The supporters’ best argument, for this mess of an agreement, has been that the situation would be worse if it didn’t exist, seeing as how the Unites States has threatened to limit the entry of EU citizens. Instead of lying flat on its stomach for American threats, the EU parliament should have defended the basic rights of its citizens.

Of the Danish EU parliament members, only the Socialist People’s Party and People’s Movement Against the EU voted against, while the Social Democrats, Left, Conservatives and a former member of the Danish People’s Party voted for the agreement.

Especially the Social Democrats’ vote could surprise you, as they time and again present the work in the EU parliament as a struggle between “right” and “left.” But when it comes to adjusting to the United States, they throw themselves right into the arms of the “right wing.” Moreover, this is in contrast to a big minority in the social democratic groups in the EU parliament, which voted against the agreement, as I did, too.

In any case, today’s decision to release the personal information of millions of European citizens is a wake-up call to those who lived under the illusion that the EU would somehow constitute a “progressive alternative” to the U.S.

Søren Søndergaard is a member of the European Parliament for the People’s Movement against the EU.