The new EU passenger data law makes it more difficult for terrorists and criminals

During the last plenary session of this administrative period, the European Parliament adopted Assita Kanko’s report on the collection of passenger data by airlines. This data will soon be automatically registered during check-in on one central European router. “Through this law, terrorists will no longer fly undetected. That makes our borders more secure,” Assita Kanko says.

The existing legislation on the collection of passenger data was inadequate. Assita Kanko: Each Member State just does whatever it chooses, and that leads to blind spots. “Criminals and terrorists take advantage of the differences between the Member States to fly around the world anonymously. They can also travel within Europe for a long time without being identified. They change their name or date of birth slightly to avoid recognition. That is why new rules are needed. This package will harmonise and centralise data collection and makes our external borders stronger.”

A safer Europe

Each year, the EU registers around one billion air passengers, half of whom cross the EU’s external borders. The vast majority have good intentions, but criminals and terrorists also hide among the passenger flows, unfortunately. This new, privacy-compliant law will streamline the collection of passenger data that already takes place and close loopholes exploited by criminals and terrorists. It will help our police and judicial services to do their work more efficiently and in a more targeted manner. Moving step by step to more automated data collection will further improve the travel experience for well-intentioned travellers. This new law will make Europe safer for our citizens,” says Assita Kanko.