EU: Lawmakers vote on sharing air passenger data to fight terror

The European Parliament voted on Thursday to allow airlines to share passenger information with EU states to help detect militants, culminating five years of debate that intensified after the Paris and Brussels attacks. The parliament in Strasbourg overwhelmingly adopted the Passenger Name Record system after resolving privacy concerns raised after the European Commission, the executive of the 28-nation EU, first proposed the law in 2011. "This is a strong expression of Europe's commitment to fight terrorism and organised crime together through enhanced cooperation and effective intelligence sharing," the commission said. "The EU PNR Directive will improve the safety and security of our citizens," the commission's first vice president Frans Timmermans and home affairs commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos added, citing the November 13 Paris massacres and the March 22 Brussels bombings. One of the two Brussels airport suicide bombers, Ibrahim El Bakraoui, was deported by plane from Turkey to Europe without detection despite being a wanted man in Belgium. The legislation passed with 416 votes for, 179 votes against and nine abstentions. Story has further details.<br/>