The European Parliament gave European Commissioners and national ministers some extra ammunition Thursday in discussions with the U.S. following allegations about American spying and the Prism scandal: possible suspension of data-sharing agreements.
The Parliament called on the U.S. to provide full disclosure of any spying activities, and set up an inquiry to look into the allegations, but stopped short of suspending bilateral trade talks due to start on Monday. The resolution was approved by 483 votes to 98 with 65 abstentions.
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) said that the European Commission, the Council of Ministers and E.U. member states should consider "all levers at their disposal" in negotiations with the U.S., including suspending deals for sharing air passenger (Passenger Name Record) data and bank data (the Terrorist Finance Tracking Programme).
Assess European programs, too
The resolution also expresses grave concern that similar surveillance programs may be run by E.U. member states, including the U.K., Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, and Poland. It calls on those countries to examine whether their programs are compatible with E.U. law.
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