Post date: Jun 04, 2013 12:2:50 AM
Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes EU leaders to an informal dinner at the beginning of a two-day summit that is likely to address airline passenger data laws.
YEKATERINBURG, RUSSIA (JUNE 3, 2013) (EBS) -Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed European Union leaders to the city of Yekaterinburg on Monday (June 3) for the beginning of a two-day summit that is likely to address the EU arms embargo on Syria and airline passenger data laws.
The European Union will ask Russia to delay the introduction of a decree allowing authorities there to collect data on European airline passengers because of doubts over whether the new rules respect EU law, EU officials said on Monday.European airlines are not supposed to share passenger data without an international agreement setting out which authorities can access the data, for how long and why.
The European Union has signed such agreements with the United States andAustralia to share information such as passengers' itineraries to help fight serious crime.
But Russia plans to introduce an airline data-sharing measure on July 1 without a prior agreement with the EU, raising concerns in the 27-nation bloc.
EU officials will formally ask the Russian government for a moratorium on the entry into force of the measure at an EU-Russia summit in Yekaterinburg, EU sources said.
Sources told Reuters Russia's plans could have a damaging effect on travel between it and the EU.
Under the decree, Russian authorities would collect the data of passengers on flights taking off or landing in Russia, or crossing its airspace, another EU official said.
A European Commission spokesman told reporters in Brussels on Monday the EU executive regretted that Russian authorities did not tell them of their intention to request passenger data from airlines operating between the EU and Russia.
The Commission is not yet aware exactly what the Russian measure will requireEuropean airlines to do, which Russian authority would be collecting the information and for how long it would be kept.
Passenger data sent by airlines to officials in the United States and Australia can also include ticket information, contact details, the travel company that made the booking and the means of payment, including credit card numbers.
Russian officials have indicated the measure is aimed at improving their ability to track potentially suspicious travellers for security purposes.
Russian Transport Ministry officials could not immediately be reached for comment on Monday. A spokesman for the Russian mission to the EU said he could not comment.
If Russia agrees to suspend its decree, an EU-Russia data-sharing deal could take years to finalise.
The EU's data-sharing agreements with Australia and the United States were fraught with disagreement because lawmakers in the European Parliament and civil rights organisations campaigned for more restrictive terms such as reducing how long the data can be kept by other countries.
A similar agreement with Canada is currently being finalised.
The Association of European Airlines said it would prefer a global treaty on passenger data to overcome any legal uncertainties.