Passenger name record

The EU Council announced that it supported the start of negotiations between the European Commission and Japan to conclude an agreement on the transfer and use of air travel reservation data.

The European Parliament approved on Thursday the new directive on the use of Passenger Name Record (PNR) data in the EU for fighting terrorism, trafficking and other types of serious crime.

The directive will oblige airlines to hand national authorities passengers' data for all flights from third countries to the EU and vice versa, the European Parliament said in a statement.

The Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council approved on Friday the compromise text agreed with the European Parliament on the proposal for a Passenger Name Record (PNR) directive.

The directive allows for the use of PNR data for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of terrorist offences and serious crime.

Belgium on Aug. 31 unveiled plans for a controversial system to collect data on all airline passengers, as well as international train and ferry travellers, in the wake of a foiled attack on a train running between Belgium and Paris.

The European Parliament's Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee (LIBE) approved Wednesday draft EU rules on sharing and protecting the Passenger Name Record (PNR) data of people flying to or from the EU, and its use by member states and Europol to fight terrorism and serious transnational crime.

The government has adopted a draft agreement between Bulgaria and the US on exchange of Passenger Name Record (PNR) data.

The agreement is to be signed and subsequently ratified, according to the press office of Bulgaria's Council of Ministers.