EU seeks quick US air data deal after court setback

[Eugene]

EU seeks quick US air data deal after court setback
Wed May 31, 2006 12:37pm ET

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - 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 canceled on Tuesday a 2004 EU-U.S. agreement
under which European airlines supply U.S. 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.

"There was no verdict on the content, so why should we change it?" an official
for the EU's executive Commission told a news briefing

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Full article: http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-05-31T163654Z_01_L31536735_RTRUKOC_0_US-AIRLINES-EU-USA.xml

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