mr president of course passenger name records are not a new concept for aviation security
this house has debated both shortcomings and merits on many previous occasions
in general my concerns are regardless of whether the system is between the us canada australia or in a general eu framework who will use the data what will it be used for and how will it be protected
in my opinion pnr systems are a valuable tool in the fight against terrorism but we must ensure that the system does not just become another tool to keep data on citizens
the purpose of pnr should be to combat terrorism and i have to say i am very sorry to say this that the commissioner in his opening statement did not give me the confidence that that would be the purpose limitation which we all seek
it should be purpose-limited to the organisations whose remit is to fight against terror
counterterrorism measures must not be made an excuse for a catch-all system for personal data
in essence we must ensure that such systems stick to what they are designed for which is an aid to the security services to identify and target the people who are the biggest threat
i welcome pnr systems as one part of our approach to counterterrorism but to the same degree believe that we must be flexible in our approach when negotiating with third countries
we must approach the important issue of data protection on eu citizens and whether and in which way this data is passed to others
thus i urge this house to take pnr seriously as part of a global tool to make our skies safer
as long as we approach the issue in a proportionate manner and reduce the potential for misuse pnr could serve as a vital tool to protect the innocent traveller and disrupt the potential terrorist
in conclusion i have always said that personally these systems would make me feel safer at thirty-five zero feet
