WASHINGTON – Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., issued the following statement Thursday in reaction to the European Parliament’s 403-225 vote approving a new Passenger Name Record agreement between the United States and the European Union.
“I am pleased the Department of Homeland Security and the European Union appear to have reached an agreement to make air travel between Europe and America safer. The agreement ensures that airlines will provide DHS access to specific passenger information 96 hours in advance of their flights to the U.S. – instead of the current 72 hours – so it can be compared to our terrorist watchlists and criminal and immigration databases.
“This type of information, known as Passenger Name Record data, helped to identify and arrest Faisal Shahzad, the Times Square bomber, as he was trying to flee the country, and David Headley, one of the planners of the Mumbai attack. The new agreement protects individual privacy but will still prevent dangerous people from traveling here. I’m grateful DHS was able to persuade our European partners to do the right thing and strengthen aviation security.”
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