EU eyes air passenger profiling in 2009

By Ingrid Melander

BRDO, Slovenia (Reuters) - The European Union could start collecting air travelers' personal data from the first half of 2009 as part of efforts to strengthen anti-terrorism measures, top officials for the bloc said Friday.

This means people traveling to the European Union by air would have their personal data collected by no fewer than three separate systems if new anti-terrorism plans take effect.

"There was general support from all ministers on a European Passenger Name Record," Slovenian Interior Minister Dragutin Mate said, referring to a U.S.-style plan to collect air passenger data for anti-terrorism purposes which EU interior ministers discussed for the first time on Friday.

"It is realistic to say that the closest possible date for a European Passenger Name Record would be in the first half of next year," he told a news conference.

Under the plan, EU states would collect and store for 13 years some 19 pieces of personal data on international air travelers including their phone number, e-mail address, payment details, and travel agent.

The data, sent by airlines at least 24 hours before departure, would also be used to draw up statistics.

EU anti-terrorism coordinator Gilles de Kerchove said the EU wanted the system to take effect in the first half of 2009, but told reporters that ministers still needed to decide how the scheme would work and to convince European lawmakers and data privacy officers, who have been very critical of the plan.

EU Justice and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini told a news conference the European Commission would propose next month two further schemes to collect travelers' data.